Caught Between Thorns
by Spiralcloud
Summary: After a terrible accident involving Ariana Gilbert and the death of her parents, she thought that she would never get over the guilt and pain. But when her life starts to get more complicated involving her twin sister Elena, brother Jeremy, vampires, witches, werewolves, hybrids, dopplegangers, and originals, well, her life just keeps getting interesting. Salvatores/OC/Originals.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE **

It had been four months. Four months since my parents had died. They were driving me home from a party, but on the way back, the car swiveled off Wickery Bridge, and we were dumped into the pitch-black water.

I couldn't remember most of it. But I did remember the terror and pain of water filling my lungs, and me, not being able to escape from it.

I woke up hours later in the Mystic Falls hospital. My older twin, Elena, and my younger brother, Jeremy, were both there, crying and explaining to me how my parents had died while I had survived. Me, Ariana Gilbert, had got to survive, while my parents didn't. That couldn't be right. I was the one who called them to pick me up, because Matt was too drunk to drive. It was my fault. So, I cried too. For I did not know why or how I was alive. But my parents weren't.

I thought that my grief and sadness were over, and that I wouldn't have to face that kind of pain ever again. But I was wrong. It was only the beginning…


	2. Pilot

**PILOT**

"Ariana! Get out of bed! It's the first day of school," I was in my bed, resting peacefully when I heard Elena, my twin, barge into the room. My guess was that she was trying to pretend that because she was older, by like two minutes, she could boss me around.

"Elena…" I groaned and rubbed at my eyes groggily. Then, I felt the covers of my bed ripped from my grip as I turned my head towards Elena's narrowed eyes.

"Get up," she said again. "Bonnie is going to pick us up any minute,"

"But it's like…" I trailed off as I craned my neck towards the digital clock on my nightstand, "6 o'clock," I sighed.

"Yep," she answered swiftly. "And if you don't get up in the next fifteen minutes; I'm bringing the ice bucket," she warned. Then she spun around and disappeared out of my room, slamming the door.

"Bitch," I whispered under my breath. Don't get me wrong. I love Elena and all, but sometimes she could be…well…a bitch. Considering she had the exact face as I did, I didn't want someone accidently mistaking me for her. That would not have turned out good.

I looked around my room. Before my parents had died, we had it decorated. The walls were cream colored with white trimmings that were in every crease of the huge room. My colossal four-poster dark wood bed was against the wall near the window. There were white sheets that covered my bed, window seat, and curtains. The hard wood floor was a dark brown color and the floor lamp next to my window seat was silver. On the other side of the room held my polished wood table, which consisted of my expensive jewelry I got as presents. However, the table held no makeup. Unlike Elena, I didn't need any makeup. A mirror hung on the wall above the table, reflecting the room making the illusion that it was bigger than the actual size.

I walked over to the mirror and just stared at my reflection.

It was creepy how much I looked like Elena. Our features were almost exactly the same, though my eyes were a little bigger. My skin was also much lighter than hers. While she had an olive tone, my skin was more ivory. My hair was a darker brown, and instead of her short, straight hair, mine was wavy, and it cascaded all the way down to my lower back.

Elena and my friends were always jealous of it. Saying how one day, they would chop it all off. But, of course, I knew they were joking. We loved each other; we could never hurt one another.

As far as body shape goes, well, Elena and I were pretty much the same. We were both curvy yet slim and tall. And personality…well…let's just say I was always the "preferred" sister.

I entered my walk-in closet and picked out my clothes for the first day back. I decided to wear a black singlet, black jeans, black high-heeled ankle boots, and a beige leather jacket. I joined my outfit with a silver ring and necklace.

After fixing my hair, I smiled a – hopefully – convincing smile in the mirror, and thought to myself how proud my mom would be right now.

I strapped my backpack over my shoulder as I descended the stairs. I heard Jenna say, "Toast. I can make toast."

"It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna," I said to her.

"Oh, hey sweetie," Jenna came over to be and gave me a hug. I closed my eyes and thought about how lucky we were to have Jenna. Without her, I didn't know if I could've made it that far.

"Is there coffee?" Jeremy asked.

Leaving me, Jenna said exasperated, "Your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared. Lunch Money?"

"Got it," I said.

"I'm good," said Elena around a bunch of toast stuffed in her mouth.

"Why, isn't that just lady-like," I teased Elena who was sitting by the kitchen counter. Elena glared at me.

"You're just jealous," she said in an "all-knowing" tone.

I rolled my eyes and looked to Jenna who was freaking out. "Jenna," I said, "Don't worry, we're covered. Just make sure you go to your presentation today."

"Okay. I'm meeting with my thesis advisor at…" Jenna looked down at the watch that was on her wrist, "now. Crap!"

"I'm sure you'll do great." I said with a smile. "Now go,"

"Thanks, Ariana," she said to me. Then she turned to my siblings. "And…stay out of trouble. That's…what good guardians say...right?" She had a look of puzzlement on her face.

"Right," I confirmed with a nod. With that, Jenna walked out of the room. Jeremy, looking all let down, walked away as well, probably off to school.

Then I heard a honk. Bonnie must have arrived.

"You ready?" I asked Elena.

"Let's go,"

We walked outside into Virginia's summer air. It was nice. Bonnie greeted Elena and I with the usual, and started the car once we got in. I took the front seat while Elena started sulking in the back.

Bonnie started talking about the usual; about her being a witch and all when I started to look off into the distance.

"Ariana! Back in the car." Bonnie's sharp voice jerked me back to focus as I stared into her brown eyes.

"Oh, gosh. Sorry Bonnie. I can't seem to ever focus anymore. Continue." I instructed Bonnie. Ever since the accident, I seem to always be daydreaming, whether it's voluntary or not.

"That's okay," Bonnie smiled, "Here I'll predict something about you…I see…" Her eyes closed as she tilted her head in concentration.

Suddenly, something flew into the car. I made a little shriek, as Bonnie was able to steady the car before it could drive off the road. My heart pounded in my chest as memories from the accident came back to me. I swallowed it down. "It's fine. I'm okay," I said, stopping the worried exclaims coming from Bonnie and Elena.

"It was like a bird or something. It came out of nowhere," Bonnie's voice was still laced with concern.

"Really, Bonnie," I assured her, "I'm fine. I need to grow up and learn to overcome my fears."

With a little straightening of her shoulders, Bonnie said, "I predict, that this year is going to be kick-ass. And all the sad and dark times are over and _you," _she said looking at me "are going to be _beyond _happy."

* * *

"Major lack of male real estate," Bonnie said once we were inside the school, "Look at the shower curtain on Kelly Beach. She looks like a hot - can I still say: "tranny mess"?" She looked at us for answers.

"No, thats's over," Elena said.

"Ahh," Bonnie complained, "Find a man, coin a phrase. It's a busy year."

I looked around the hallways an finally spotted Matt. His had earbuds on and he was taking things out of his locker. He turned to look at me. I couldn't help the guilt that went through me as I saw the pain in his eyes. I smiled tentatively and waved.

Instead of waving back, he slammed his locker closed and strode away, completely ignoring me.

I sighed, "He must hate me," I felt sad.

"That's not hate," Bonnie argued, "That's 'you dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it, but secretly I'm listening to Air Supply's greatest hits.'" She mocked him.

"I never meant to hurt him..." I said to myself. Then, someone hugged me from behind.

"Ariana. Oh, my god," I instantly recognized Caroline's voice, and smiled.

"Hey, Caroline," I turned around and hugged my other best friend tightly.

"How are you? Oh, it's so good to see you. How is she? Is she good?" She started speaking to Bonnie and Elena as if I wasn't there. I smacked her arm playfully.

"I'm fine. Thank you very much," I said sarcastically.

"Really?"

"Yep. Good as new," I smiled.

"That's good to hear," she said all "motherly" like. After another tight squeeze, Caroline released me. "Bye," she waved at us and then disappeared around the hallway corner.

"No comment," I heard Elena say from behind me.

I turned around and said, "Hey, she means well,"

"Whatever," Elena rolled her eyes and muttered, "Blondes," Then she walked away.

"That's a bit stereotypical," Bonnie said.

"Yeah, well that's Elena," I said with a sigh.

* * *

Once Bonnie and I walked past the school office, she held out her arm and said, "Hold up. Who's this?" I followed her gaze and saw the back of a tall guy. He was wearing black pants and a leather jacket.

"I don't know. All I see is a back," I laughed at Bonnie.

"It's a hot back." She replied as I rolled my eyes out of amusement. "I'm sensing Seattle, and he plays the guitar."

"Look at you," I smiled, "Becoming a talented psychic."

"Pretty much," she replied. I heard a voice coming from my left say:

"Jeremy, good batch, man," Oh no. Was Jeremy still on drugs?

"Hold on Bonnie, I'll be back in a sec." I told her as I followed Jeremy into the boys bathroom.

* * *

"Whoa! Pants down chick!" A guy said from within the bathroom. I barely gave him a glance, I just muttered:

"Sorry," I kept my gaze on Jeremy as I said, "Jeremy, you can't keep doing this to yourself. It's your choice to make, but please, be careful. I love you, I don't want this to ruin your life. Be the better person, Jer." His eyes softened a bit. He was my brother. I had to look out for him.

He said, "Then respect my choice," Then he exited out the door. I sighed, and followed him out.

Once the door swung closed I bumped into something hard. I looked up and saw the guy Bonnie though was hot. His leaf-green eyes were beautiful, but so were his light brown hair and...well...his entire body. He was looking at me in a way that made me feel like I'd seen him before.

"Careful," he said, stabilizing me. "isn't this...um," his eyebrows furrowed, "the men's room?"

I immediately felt embarrassed. I stuttered and said, "Oh, yeah. Um - I was just - my brother - It's a long story..." I finished lamely. I was making a fool out of myself in front of this gorgeous guy. God, it was so awkward.

"It's okay," he said with a smile. I smiled back, he was nice. He moved to the side, and let me pass.

"Thank you," I said. Before turning the corner, I looked back, and caught him staring at me...

* * *

My first period was with Mr. Tanner. He was an okay guy, I guess. He was our history teacher and football coach, so he had a bunch of pressure on him. I just wished that sometimes he wasn't so hard on the kids in class.

In the middle of one of his lectures, I turned my head to see leaf-green eyes staring back. I smiled. I felt a vibrate from my pocket, and I took my silver phone out. The text read:

_Bonnie: HAWT-E STARING U._

I looked back to the mysterious guy and he smiled at me. I did a little wave then tried to focus on Mr. Tanner's lecture for the rest of the period. I failed.

* * *

I entered the Mystic Falls Cemetery, wanting to visit my parents. Elena and Jeremy had gone home to do who knows what. I was about to walk up to my parents' stones when I heard a bird croak. It freaked me out at first. But when I looked up, I realized it was simply a crow that was perched on one of the bigger grave head stones. How cliche; crows in a graveyard. I wondered where the Grim Reaper was.

"Oh, hey bird," I called out to it like I was crazy, "Wanna talk about how screwed up my life is?" The crow cawed again. As I looked closer, I noticed that the bird was a bit different than others I'd seen. It was as black as night, but the eyes looked way too intelligent. I felt strange talking to it. It was almost like talking to another human being, not a random bird.

Suddenly, white mystical fog started gathering up all around me. The bird cawed again. I started to get freaked out; what was happening? I could feel the icy coolness of the mists touch me, so I bolted up, and ran away from it, the freaky bird, and the faint shadow of a man.

Then me, being as clumsy as I was, tripped over a tree root that was sticking up from the ground. I felt the bark scrape my shin and draw blood. My hands weren't exactly in the best condition either, since it helped break my fall.

Once I was finally able to get up, I almost let out a scream as I saw that I wasn't alone. It was the handsome guy from earlier.

There was a look of concern on his face as he asked me, "You okay?"

Shit. He must have seen me fall. That's was two embarrassing things he saw me do today. "Yeah, I'm fine," I replied. "I just fell, that's all. Do you have family here too?" I asked him. I was starting to get a little suspicious. He must have a dead relative or friend here. Either that or he was being a creep, which I didn't think he was.

"Yes," he responded, "My parents and a few other relatives,"

Wow. He'd lost more than just his parents. I felt bad for him. As I looked into his eyes, I realized that he had a look of wisdom. As if he's seen more than the average teenager should've. "I'm Ariana," I held out my hand to him.

"I'm Stefan," when he shook my hand, I swear I felt a zap of electricity. I know he had felt it too, since his look was one of surprise. I immediately pulled back as a reflex reaction.

"Sorry," I blurted out, "I wasn't trying to be rude or anything, that just...surprised me,"

He smiled, "Me too," he said, referring to the "surprised" part. I saw his hand move and disappear out of my line of vision. I felt his fingers pluck something out of my hair, and realized that it was a small leaf, the exact same color as his eyes.

Before I could make a complete fool of myself by reacting to his touch, I said, "Thanks," I looked to his hand and saw a big ring. It was an oval shaped lapis lazuli with silver linings. It may have looked tacky to others, but I was admiring its beauty. "Nice ring, by the way,"

"Oh. Um, it's a family ring, yeah. I'm kinda stuck with it. It's weird, huh?" He said, smiling as if it was an inside joke.

"No, actually, I think it's really cool," I defended his ring. Who ever thought I'd be sticking up for a ring? "I like it, it has that sort of olden day charm,"

He was about to reply when his entire demeanor changed. His eyes lost that friendly touch as he asked, "Did you hurt yourself?"

"Oh, yeah," I shifted uncomfortably. His eyes locked with mine. "I think I scratched my leg back when I fell." Then, his face changed. His eyes took on a reddish color while the skin around it started turning a sort of blue.

"You should go. Take care of that," His voice had the same strange tone.

"Thanks, but really, it's-" I was starting to say something, when he suddenly disappeared. Where did he go? And how was he able to leave so quickly? Questions swirled around in my head...

* * *

I walked into the Mystic Grill to see Caroline, Elena and Bonnie talking to each other from a booth.

"Hey guys," I said to them and took an empty seat next to Caroline.

"Hey," they said back. Bonnie continued, "Caroline knows some info on the new hot guy,"

"Yes, I do," Caroline said proudly.

"Do tell," I smiled to her.

"His name is Stefan Salvatore. He lives with his uncle up at the old Salvatore boarding house. He hasn't lived here since he was a kid. Military family, so they moved around a lot. He's a Gemini, and his favorite color is blue."

"You got all of that in one day?" Elena asked unconvinced and a little jealous.

"Oh please," Caroline bragged, "I got all that between third and fourth period. We're planing a June wedding," she smirked while I just rolled my eyes. Bonnie shook her head and Elena puffed.

* * *

Once I got home, I slid into a midnight blue deep v-neck dress, careful to not disturb my newly bandaged wound. I wore some black high-heeled shoes and a gold necklace. I seemed to have lost one of my silver ones. Oh well.

After grabbing my purse, I called to Jenna, "Elena and I are meeting Bonnie at the grill," Elena was finally downstairs, dressed in a green sweater and flats.

"Okay, have fun. Wait, I got this. Don't stay out late, it's a school night," Jenna said, trying to imitate our parents.

I held up my thumb and laughed, "Well done, Aunt Jenna,"

"Ooh," Elena said with wide eyes, "I forgot something," she ran back up the stairs. I sighed, and decided to open the front door. "Oh," I said as I realized who it was

"Sorry," Stefan said, "I was about to knock. I wanted to apologize for my disappearing act earlier. I know it was...strange." He said a little guiltily.

"No worries," I replied swiftly, then laughed, "You probably just didn't want to stick around to see how bad my wound was,"

He laughed too. "Something like that. Hey, how's your leg. I hope you got home okay,"

I looked down to my shin - covered in a bandage - that was barely exposed under the silk dress. "Oh, yeah. It was practically a scratch. I'm fine," I assured him. I then looked at him questionably.

"Oh, I wanted to return this to you," Stefan held out a silver chain that was between his fingers. On the end was a silver charm of a small heart.

"My necklace," I recognized it. It was the necklace that I was wearing earlier.

"It must have fell off when I was running. Thank you," The truth was that I could hardly care about the necklace. But the fact that Stefan had come to my house just to give it back was very kind of him. "You, know, you didn't have give it back today. We have like three classes together. But it was kind of you, so, thank you," I said again.

"You're welcome," he replied smiling. After a few seconds of him just gazing at me, I finally said:

"Do you want to come to the Grill with me. Elena and I were just meeting a few friends,"

"Elena?" Stefan questioned, "She's your sister right?"

"Yes, my twin. Who looks almost exactly the same as I do,"

"You guys do look similar, but I can always tell you apart. And not just because of your hair," he said.

"Thanks," I barely muttered as I looked towards the ground beaming.

Then, Elena chose that time to ruin the moment.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you-" Her words were cut off as she finally noticed Stefan. "Oh, my god," She looked back and forth between me and him as she glared at me. "When were you going to introduce us?"

"Oh, sorry. Elena, meet Stefan, and Stefan, meet my twin, Elena." I said as Elena looked like she was about to tackle Stefan to the ground with a hug or perhaps, a kiss. So I said, "Stefan, would you like to come," Stefan was looking at Elena with a friendly smile, but I knew what he was thinking: Wow, Elena and Ariana have completely different personalities, even though they look alike.

Stefan looked back towards me and said, "I would love too,"

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

The Mystic Grill was full of people as Matt walked over to Bonnie and asked, "How's Ariana doing?"

"Her mom and dad died. How do you think? She's putting on a good face, but it's only been four months." She replied sternly.

"Has she said anything about me?" Matt looked hopeful.

"Oh no," Bonnie shook her head, "So not getting in the middle. You pick up the phone and call her."

"I feel weird calling her," Matt admitted, "She broke up with me."

"Give it more time, Matt." Bonnie said softly

Then they both turned their heads to see Ariana, Elena, and Stefan enter the Grill.

"More time, huh?" Matt said sadly as he headed over to the three teenagers.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

As we entered the Grill filled with many people, I spotted Matt walking towards us with a clenched jaw. Oh, no.

"Hey, I'm Matt, nice to meet you," Matt's words were nice, but the way he said them obviously implied that he wanted to say something else to Stefan.

"Hi, Matt," I smiled at him, wanting to cheer him up.

"Hey," he replied. Elena didn't say anything, she just silently rolled her eyes at the drama.

* * *

"So, you were born in Mystic Falls," Caroline immediately started interrogating Stefan as the five of us took our seats. On one side of the booth sat; Bonnie - who was closest to the wall, Caroline, and Elena. The side that I was on, was just me and Stefan. Which was probably why Elena was giving me the evil eye.

"Mm-Hmm." Stefan replied to Caroline, "And moved when I was still young."

"Parents?" Bonnie asked. I knew that Stefan's parents had passed away. He told me earlier in the cemetery. Which was why I was surprised when Elena just continued to question him like everything was fine. She should at least know what it was like to feel the pain of losing your parents.

"My parents passed away." Stefan responded nonchalantly.

"Any siblings?" Elena asked, showing no sympathy. I gave her a look that she ignored.

"None that I talk to. I live with my uncle," I couldn't help thinking how strange an answer that was, but I didn't push him.

"So, Stefan, if you're new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow." Caroline said, crossing her arms.

"It's a back to school thing at the falls," Bonnie explained.

Stefan turned towards me and asked, "Are you going," I felt so elated by his question, and was about to answer, when Bonnie cut in.

"Of course she is," she said smugly. I received a questioning look from Caroline, and a glare from Elena. Oh, boy...

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

After an argument between Zach and Stefan at the boarding house, Zach pulled out an old journal and took out a picture. The old picture looked exactly like Ariana, but under the photo, it read: _Katherine Pierce 1864._

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

The next day of school had arrived and I was sitting in Mr. Tanner's class. I wasn't paying attention so when Mr. Tanner called on me, I had no idea what the answer was.

"I'm sorry," I said, "I don't know," I looked down shamefully.

Then, he said, "I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Ariana. But the personal excuses ended with summer break." I felt like I was going to cry once he brought up the "subject".

Then, a voice I had come accustomed to knowing so well said: "There were 346 casualties. Unless you're counting local civilians." I felt relieved.

"That's correct. Mister..." Mr. Tanner trailed off.

"Salvatore," Stefan answered the unspoken question.

"Salvatore," Mr. Tanner repeated, "Any relation to the original settlers here at Mystic Falls?"

"Distant."

"Well, very good," Mr. Tanner commented, "Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle."

"Actually, there were 27, sir. Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The founder's archives are, uh, stored in civil hall, if you would like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner." Everyone, including me, snickered at Stefan's suggestion. I felt grateful that he stood up for me. Well, sort of.

Mr. Tanner simply huffed.

* * *

For the party, I dressed in a violet singlet, a black leather jacket, black knee boots, and jeans. My hair was loose and I wore a single gold, long, pendant necklace.

Once I reached the party, many people greeted me, so I said "hi" back. It was dark. I spotted Bonnie standing by a table filled with beer bottles and I silently walked up to her, and said, "Boo!"

Bonnie whirled around with wide eyes and exclaimed, "Oh, my god. You scared me Ariana," I grinned.

After talking to her about school and classmates, she said, "Just admit it, Ariana," I knew who she was talking about.

"Okay," I said, "He's gorgeous and...hot, as you'd say,"

"I totally agree," Bonnie said.

* * *

**3rd person POV**

Caroline and Elena spotted Stefan at the party and walked up to him. "Hey! You made it!" Caroline said, excited.

"I did," Stefan agreed.

"Well, let's get you a drink," Elena smiled.

"Well, I'm-" Stefan got cut off.

"Oh, come on." Caroline pleaded.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

"So where is he?" Bonnie asked me, referring to Stefan.

"I have no idea," I replied, then I smirked, "Well, psychic, why don't you tell me," I looked around the floor and spotted an empty beer bottle. I bended down and picked up the cool glass. I handed it to Bonnie, but once she touched me, she abruptly pulled back, and stared at me, wide-eyed.

"You okay," I asked her concerned as I dropped the bottle back onto the dirt beside me.

"That was weird," She furrowed her brows, "When I touched you, I saw a crow, a man. There was fog," My stomach grew uneasy. What she was explaining was just like how it was at the cemetery, yesterday. Then, Bonnie shook her head, "I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah. Okay. I'm gonna go get a refill." Then Bonnie left me to my own thoughts.

I was still thinking about Bonnie's "visions" when I turned around and saw Stefan.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," I said surprised. How does he show up out of nowhere like that?

"I did it again, didn't I?" He asked unsure.

I shook my head, "Nah, it's cool. My mind's just a little preoccupied right now. But it doesn't matter, because you're here." I smiled at him.

He smiled back. "I'm here."

* * *

Stefan and I walked onto a bridge that was by the party, and talked.

"You know, you're kind of the tale of the town," I smiled to Stefan.

"Oh, really," Stefan joked.

"Oh, yeah. The mysterious new guy," I laughed.

"Well," he said, "You have the mysterious thing going too," then his tone changed, "Twinged in sadness."

I felt myself open up to him, "Last spring...my parents' car drove off of a bridge into the lake. And I was in the backseat and I survived but...they didn't..." I felt sadness start to cloud around me.

"You won't be sad forever, Ariana," he said with certainty. I felt safe around him, and so I believed him. We smiled.

* * *

"I like Bonnie," Stefan suddenly said, as we continued walking. "She seems like a good friend,"

"Oh, yeah," I agreed, "I love Bonnie. Best friend in the world."

Then he turned uncomfortable, "And Matt, he can't seem to, uh, take his eyes off us."

I turned to where he was looking and saw Matt, Elena, and Caroline all giving us disapproving looks.

"Well, he and I dated and...it was good, but, I can't see us being more than friends. My parents dying kind of pulled me to my senses. I couldn't keep stringing him along," I admitted.

Then Stefan smiled, "But, it's not just him, you know. I see the way other guys look at you. You should probably be careful."

I smiled and playfully nudged him. "Oh," I said, "Then maybe I shouldn't be out here with you. Who knows what could happen?"

He smiled too. Suddenly, his eyes started to change, just like it did back in the woods of the cemetery.

"You okay," I asked in confusion.

"Oh yeah," he said distractedly, "It's nothing. Um, are you thirsty? I'm gonna go get us some drinks,"

He then left me. Did I do something wrong? I asked myself. Was he okay?

* * *

When I got back to the party, I saw Matt walking up to me. "Looking for someone?" he asked. I guess he caught me trying to find Stefan.

"Hey, Matt," I said back, avoiding his question.

"Listen," he said, completely serious. Oh, goody. "When you broke up with me, you said it was because you needed some time alone. You don't look so alone to me." He looked so heartbroken.

"Matt, I didn't mean to hurt you, I-"

He cut me off, "That's okay, Ariana. You do what you have to do. I just want to let you know that...I still believe in us. And I'm not giving up on that."

"Matt..." I didn't know what to say to that. His blue eyes were piercing me, and I couldn't find the right response. I still loved Matt of course, I would always. But...it would be as a friend...

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

"Hey!" Elena said to Stefan. It was obvious that she was drunk, "Have you been down to the falls yet? Because they are really cool at night. And I can show you. If you want."

"I think you've had too much to drink," Stefan told her.

"Well, duh, of course I have. So-" Stefan cut Elena off.

"Elena. You and me, it's not going to happen. Sorry."

Stefan found Ariana and started to walk towards her, leaving behind an upset Elena.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

"I was wondering where you were," I said to Stefan as he walked towards me and took a seat next to me one the wooden railing. I looked to where Elena was. She was fuming, and glaring at me. I cringed.

"How can you be so different from your sister?" Stefan asked me.

I shrugged, "Everybody asks that question," was my only reply. "But don't worry, she'll get over it...eventually." It would take a while though.

Then, I saw Jeremy wobble into the woods, chucking an empty bottle into the grass. "Oh, oh," I said.

"What is it,"

"My brother. Excuse me," I said to him, hopping off the railing.

"Need any help?" Stefan asked.

"No, it's okay. I'm just making sure he doesn't get hurt, that's all." I said back to him.

* * *

"Jeremy!" I called out to my little brother, who, of course, ignored me. "Jeremy, be care-"

My words were cut off when Jeremy suddenly tripped and fell. "Vicki? No! Oh, my god, it's Vicki!"

Hearing the concern in his voice, I ran over the dirt and grass to where he was. Vicki was on the ground. Blood covered her neck. "Oh, mu gosh," I knew Vicki through Matt. She was his sister. "No," I whispered and thought: _please be okay..._

* * *

"Somebody help!" My voice rang out as Jeremy and I carried Vicki back to the party, calling attention to ourselves.

"Vicki? Vicki, what the hell?!" Matt was instantly beside me, concern covering his features. People gathered around us, some whispering, some yelling.

Then Tyler showed up, and asked me, "What happened to her,"

"Something bit her neck. She's losing a lot of blood." I explained to him. A boy passed me a piece of cloth and I pressed it onto her open wound.

"Somebody call the ambulance," Matt said.

"Everybody back up, give her some space," Tyler instructed the crowd.

"Vicki, Vicki, come on, open your eyes, look at me," Matt was worried about his sister. We all were. I looked around the crowd and noticed that Stefan was gone.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Stefan entered the boarding house and quickly walked up the stairs. "What's going on?" Zach asked him.

"Someone else was attacked tonight, Zach, and it wasn't me." Stefan responded as he strode into his room. A crow flew in, and cawed at Stefan. A man was standing on the balcony, and Stefan instantly recognized him. "Damon." He frowned.

"Hello, brother," Damon smirked.

"Crow's a bit much, don't you think?" Stefan said.

"Wait till you see what I can do with the fog." Damon taunted, still smirking.

"When'd you get here?" Stefan asked Damon.

"Well, I couldn't miss your first day at school. Your hair's different. I like it," Damon looked like a predator that was about to strike its prey.

"It's been 15 years, Damon," Stefan said, suspicious. Why was Damon back in Mystic Falls?

"Thank God. I couldn't take another day of the nineties. That horrible grunge look? Did not suit you,"

"Why are you here," Stefan asked tensely.

"I miss my little brother." _Yeah right._

"You hate small towns." Stefan stated, "It's boring. There's nothing for you to do."

"I've managed to keep myself busy,"

"You know, you left that girl alive tonight. That's very clumsy of you."

"Ah, that can be a problem..." Damon smirked, "For you,"

"Why are you here now?" Stefan repeated his question.

"I could ask you the same question. However, I'm fairly certain your answer can be summed up into one little word..." There was a glint in his eye, "Ariana."

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

I was so worried. Matt had left in the ambulance with Vicky, and I didn't know when the'yd be back. Or if...they'd be back.

"Hey. We're gonna go to Mainline Coffee, wait for news," Bonnie said.

"Alright, I got to take Jeremy and Elena home," I said.

"Nope," Elena slurred, she was still drunk, "I'm gonna go with Bonnie and Caroline, if you don't mind," she said sarcastically. I sighed. She was still angry at me.

"Ariana..." I turned towards Bonnie as she said my name. She looked at me in fear.

"What is it Bonnie?"

"I have this feeling...that it is only the beginning..." she whispered. I felt my heart pound had against my chest. I knew the feeling.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

"She took my breath away. Ariana." Damon smirked, "She's a dead ringer for Katherine. Is it working Stefan? Being around her, being in her world? Does it make you feel alive?" He questioned.

"She's not Katherine," Stefan stated.

"Well, let's hope not. We both know how that ended," They shared a look. "Tell me something, when's the last time you had something stronger than a squirrel?"

"I know what you're doing, Damon. It's not going to work," Stefan said.

"Yeah?" Damon asked, unconvinced, "Come on. Don't you crave a little?"

Damon then went up to Stefan and pushed his shoulder. "Stop it," Stefan commanded.

"Let's do it. Together. I saw a couple of girls out there. But they weren't as beautiful. So why don't we just cut to the chase. Let's go straight for Ariana." Damon stepped closer.

"Stop it," Stefan shouted at his brother.

"Imagine what her blood tastes like..." Damon said. Stefan's face started to transform. His eyes turned red as veins started appearing under them. "I can."

"I said stop!" Stefan's calm demeanor broke as he crashed into Damon, throwing him out of his window and balcony. But the force also made Stefan fall. And once he hit the solid pavement, Damon was nowhere to be found.

"I was impressed," Damon said from where he was standing, beside a hedge. "I give it a six. Missing style, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very good with the whole face- thing. It was good."

"You know," Stefan spoke up, "It's all fun and games, Damon, huh? But wherever you go, people die.

"That's a given."

"Not here," Stefan said sternly, "I won't allow it."

"I take that as an invitation," Damon smirked.

"Damon, please. After all these years, can't we just give it a rest?"

"I promised you an eternity of misery, so I'm just keeping my word."

"Just stay away from Ariana," Stefan pleaded with Damon.

"Where's your ring? Oh, yeah, sun's coming up in a couple of hours, and, poof, ashes to ashes." Damon smirked, but then said, "Relax, your ring's right here."

Suddenly, Damon struck out his arm and pinned Stefan to the garage wall by the throat. His face was of a demon, and his fangs showed as he said, "You should know better than to think you're stronger than me. You lost that fight when you stopped feeding on people. I wouldn't try it again." Damon then tilted his head to the side, "I think we woke Zach up. Sorry, Zach."

Damon vampire sped away, leaving Stefan on the concrete, trying to catch his breath.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

I spotted Jeremy with drinking from a beer bottle. As if he wasn't drunk enough already. "You okay? I called Jenna, she's picking us up. Elena's going with Bonnie and Caroline to the coffee place." He still continued to ignore me. "Look, Jer, you have to start caring for yourself. Please, I don't want you to get hurt."

"You keep saying that like I care," he responded unemotionally.

"You should care. It's your life." I argued

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

"Are you guys sober yet?" Bonnie asked Elena and Caroline after they drank from their coffees.

"Nope," They responded. Bonnie sighed. They were just mad that they didn't get Stefan.

"Come on. I need to get you guys home, and then get _me _home," She said.

Then Elena started complaining: "Why didn't he go for me? How come the guys never want _me_, but they always want _her?" _

_"_I'm not gonna answer that?" Bonnie shook her head.

"It's not fair," Elena whined, "We have pretty much the exact same face, yet the guys are always going after her. Everyone picks her. No one even thinks to give me a chance. I'm never the one..." She started sobbing.

Caroline, still drunk said, "I agree. I mean, Ariana's our best friend and all, but she's always stealing everyone from us. We never win." She pouted.

"It's not a competition, guys," Bonnie said.

"Yeah, it is," Elena said with hatred.

* * *

Caroline stayed at the cafe while Bonnie went to take Elena home. Caroline caught sight of a guy in his early twenties with black hair and ice blue eyes. They both smiled. Little did she know, that this boy was Damon, a vampire.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Once I got home, I changed into my pajamas. My PJ's, for tonight, consisted of a simple black singlet and purple short shorts. Bonnie came over and brought Elena to her room. Elena was practically half-asleep when Bonnie and I helped dump her onto her bed. Bonnie was such a good friend. I just hoped that my siblings would learn to be better for themselves.

I looked out my window and saw Stefan on the front lawn. What was he doing here?

I went downstairs and I opened my door. He was there, as handsome as ever. "I know it's late. But, uh...I needed to know that you were okay,"

"Thanks, that's really sweet," I said truthfully. After about a second, I opened my door wider. "Would you like to come in?" I asked him. I could feel the cool night air, and I wondered if he'd be cold. That's when I realized that I was only in my tank and shorts. Oh, well, my life couldn't get any worse, could it?

"Yes," he smiled and entered my house. I smiled back and led him into the living room...


	3. The Night of the Comet

**THE NIGHT OF THE COMET**

This morning, I felt different. It was good, I could sense a change coming. For once, I wanted to get up and go to school. Because now, I knew he would be waiting for me. I chose to put on a dark purple long sleeved shirt, black jeans, black boots, and a cream colored scarf. A silver necklace, ring, and hair clip, complemented my look.

I walked out of my room and saw Jenna admiring herself in the floor-length mirror.

"Do I look adult? As in respectfully parental?" she asked me. She was very a round neck line, cocktail dress.

"Hmm," I said thoughtfully, "Where are you going?"

"To Jeremy's parent-teacher conference." she said, "Hair up, or down?"

She collected her orange hair in one hand as she held it up high.

"Sexy Stewardess," I replied. Then she let go, and her hair flew down to about her shoulders. "Boozy housewife,"

"Up it is," Jenna said, looking at me surprised, "You're feisty today."

"Oh, Jenna. You know you'd look good either way," I smiled, "And I feel really good. By the way, where's Jeremy?"

She turned towards me, "He left early. Something about getting to wood shop early to finish a birdhouse." I looked at her with my eyebrows raised. "There is no wood shop, is there?" she asked.

"I wish," I shook my head. What's Jeremy doing now?

"Yeah..." Jenna sighed.

* * *

When I took my seat in history class, I could barely concentrate, because Stefan kept looking at me. Eventually, I just gave up on trying to actually focus on Mr. Tanner's lectures, and started gazing back at Stefan.

Mr. Tanner's voice woke me up from my little world: "Are we bothering you, Mr. Salvatore? Ms. Gilbert?"

Stefan and I broke our gazes to look up into a very pissed off teacher. But before either of us could respond, the bell rang. The alarm jerked me out of my seat, and I stood up.

* * *

Kids walked past us, trying to get to their next class, or just meeting up with other friends. Over the loud voices, Stefan said, "I brought it. Told you."

In his hands was _Wuthering Heights, _one of the books Stefan and I had talked about yesterday night. "'Wuthering Heights' by Ellis Bell. Too bad, she didn't use her real name, it's pretty."

"Not as pretty as yours," Stefan immediately responded. To hide his embarrassment, he said: "All the Bronte sisters used pseudonyms. It was the time. Female writers weren't very accepted then."

"Thank you," I responded to his compliment, then I asked curiously, "Where did you get it?"

"Uh, it was passed down. Through the family,"

"Cool," I smiled.

"I have a lot of books," Stefan said, "Go ahead. Keep it."

"Oh, no. It's your book. I couldn't possibly keep something like this," I told him, "But I would like to read it again. Then I'll promise to return it,"

"Seriously," Stefan insisted, "Keep it. It's yours,"

"You know," I smiled slyly, "You're too nice for your own good," I tucked the book away into my backpack. I'd give it back to him next week.

* * *

At lunch, I met up with Matt to talk about Vicki. "Is she okay?" I asked, worried. I hoped that Vicki would be able to recover. After all, she was Matt's sister, and I couldn't have another person in my life die. Even if I wasn't close to that person.

Matt and I were walking across the grassy area behind the school. "Yeah," he replied, "They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection, but she should be able to come home by tomorrow,"

"That's really good news," I told him, smiling, "I hope she gets better soon,"

"Thanks,"

"Did you get in touch with your mom?" I asked him. Matt's mom was currently away, leaving Matt and Vicki to take care of themselves. I didn't think she was a bad person, but she should've been a better mother. It's hard to grow up without a mom.

"Called and left a message," he replied grimly, "She's in Virginia Beach with her boyfriend, so...we'll see how long it takes her to come rushing home." He sighed.

"Hey," I said as I placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at me, then my hand, and back to my face. "It's going to be okay. You and Vicki will be fine," He started smiling, "By the way, did she say what animal it as that attacked her?"

"She said it was a vampire," Matt looked unconvinced.

"A vampire? You mean, like fiction?" The only vampires I'd ever heard of were in stories and bad movies. Vampires didn't exist.

"Yeah, she wakes up last night and mutters "Vampire" and passes out. I think she was drunk," he said. Vicki was drunk. "So anyway, what's up with you and the new guy?" He asked me. I could see that he was trying to be nonchalant about it, but I saw through to the pain that filled his eyes.

"Look, Matt," I said, "The last thing I'd want to do is hurt you,"

"You know," Matt said trying to change the subject, "I'm - I'm actually going to go back to the hospital. I want to be there when Vicki waked up, get the real story about last night..." Then he walked away.

I felt my heart sink into my stomach. Oh, Matt...I'm so sorry...

* * *

After school, Bonnie, Caroline, Elena, and I went to the Mystic Grill to talk about the comet tonight. We decided to sit outside on the metal chairs. Bonnie and Elena sat across from each other, while I faced Caroline.

Bonnie said, "Well, I was talking to Grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom. The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. So much blood and carnage, it created a bed of paranormal activity," Bonnie was freaking me out. Blood? Paranormal Activities? Vampires? Yep, that settles it, I was going crazy.

"Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens," Caroline said.

"Caroline," I smacked her arm playfully.

"What," she played innocent, "No damage done. Anyways," she wiggled her eyebrows, "'bout you and Stefan Tell. Me. Everything,"

"There's nothing to tell," I shrugged.

"You and Stefan talked _all _night?" Caroline asked still unconvinced, "There was no sloppy first kiss or touchy feely of any kind?"

"No Care," I replied, "He's a gentleman,"

"Well, he didn't act like it yesterday..." Elena muttered.

"Not even a handshake?" Caroline ignored Elena.

"Well, we already shook hands the day we met. There's no point in doing it again," I explained. I left out the part where his touch practically sent an electric current through me. "We just talked for hours. It was like 6 o'clock in the morning when he finally left,"

"Ok," Caroline asked, "What's the blockage?"

"Just jump his bones already!" Elena shouted, annoyed.

"Elena..." Bonnie rolled her eyes. I sighed. My friends were still obviously hurt.

"Ok," Caroline started up again, "It's easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy; sex!"

I sighed and stood up. If I didn't leave now, who knows what they would start talking about. "Fine, you know what, I'm going to the boarding house. See you guys later!" I waved to all three of their shocked faces, then I walked to my car...

* * *

Once I got to the boarding house, I finally came to my senses. What the hell was I doing here? I should've known never to trust any of Caroline or Elena's decisions. Well, I sighed, maybe I'll just ask Stefan about his family, and talk about homework...god, I was getting lame...

Oh, my god. The boarding house was huge! It was a victorian styled dark brown house with black and white trimmings. It was absolutely amazing. I couldn't believe that Stefan lived here with only his uncle. I wish I lived here...

I started to feel nervous as I approached a - huge, of course - wooden door. I took a deep breath and knocked. The door simply opened a bit, just about two inches. I thought about what I should do. I didn't want to be rude and go inside, but I also didn't want to leave, because then, what was the whole point to coming?

I finally decided to just go. I mean, no one should go into other people's homes without them knowing first, right? So I turned around, and was about to walk down the wooden porch steps, when I realized that someone was standing right in front of me. At first, I thought it was Stefan. But me hello, died in my throat as I saw that it wasn't him. It was a stranger.

He was tall, in his mid-twenties, and gorgeous. That much was obvious. But there was also an air around him which seemed mysterious, yet dangerous. Sexy. Oh, my gosh, could he have been more handsome than even Stefan? He looked like a movie star. His hair was black, the color of ravens, and his ice blue eyes pierced me, as he smirked.

"You must be Ariana," he said. Even his voice was sexy. Hey, I can't control my thoughts. "I'm Damon, Stefan's brother," Stefan had a brother? They didn't look much alike, except they had the same strange air around them. They were also both ridiculously good looking. I then realized that I was standing there, in front of the house, with no good explanation.

"Oh," I said, "Sorry, I didn't realize Stefan had a brother. But it's nice to meet you,"

"It's nice to meet you too," he said smiling, "And, well, Stefan's not one to brag,"

I giggled at his cockiness. He was so different from Stefan. Kinda like me and Elena...

"Please, come," he said. He stepped around me, and opened the front door wider. He gestured for me to enter.

I bit my lip. "You sure?" I didn't want to make a bad impression or anything. I mean, he barely knew me, yet he was inviting me into his home.

"Yeah," he replied, "I'm sure Stefan will be along any second." Once he said his brother's name, I agreed to go in.

Once I stepped through the threshold, I heard the door shut behind me.

I gasped once we arrived at what I thought must have been a living room. The inside was even more spectacular than the outside. Architectural details lined every corner and wall. Persian rugs and carpet covered the hard wood floor. Paintings of people - probably distant relatives - were scattered across the wood paneling. Couches, chairs, and a bar were distributed among the massive room. It was like I had stepped right in, to the nineteenth century.

"Wow," I said in awe, "Is this your living room? It's amazing! So beautiful..."

"I'm glad you like it," Damon actually smiled. "Living room, parlor...though it's a little kitschy for my taste."

"I think it's perfect," I voiced my opinion. Then, I blushed a bit. That may have sounded a bit too audacious.

He looked at me in what I thought was part confusion, part awe, then said, "I can see why my brother's so smitten." That made me feel good, "It's about time. For a while there, I never thought he'd get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him."

"Oh, what happened," I asked, concerned. No wonder Stefan seemed to always be kind of sad, he must of lost someone too...just like I did.

Damon gave me the same half awed look, "Yeah. Katherine, his girlfriend. I guess you guys haven't gotten to the awkward exes conversation yet,"

"Well," I started, "He can tell me whenever he is ready,"

I wasn't exactly ready to talk about my exes either.

"Hmm," Damon said, deep in thought, "I'm sure it will come up eventually. Maybe he didn't want to tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound." He then smirked, "We all know how those relationships end,"

Then I said, "I just hope, whatever it is, that he'll be okay. And for him to know that if he ever needs me, I'll be there for him." I smiled. Damon's face went completely blank.

Then his smirk was instantly back as he said, "Hello Stefan," He was looking past my head, so I turned around.

Stefan was there, looking angry and tense, glaring at Damon. He could've been carved out of stone. He was barely moving.

Finally, his lips moved, "Ariana," his voice was barely controlled, "I didn't know you were coming over."

"I know, I'm sorry," I glanced back at Damon, "I just...wanted to talk to you..about a few things..." It was really awkward. Stefan was busy glaring at Damon, while Damon smirked easily back, but I saw the look of challenge in both of their eyes. "I should've called first,"

"Oh, don't be silly," Damon piped up," You're welcome any time. Isn't she, Stefan?" Okay, they had some major family issues. I just hoped that they'd be able to sort it out. I knew I had to with my siblings. "You know, I should break out the family photo albums or some home movies. But...I have to warn you. He wasn't always such a looker." He winked at me. I shook my head in amusement.

"Thank you for stopping by, Ariana. Nice to see you." That's what he said, but his tight voice said otherwise. I was a bit saddened by that fact. Did Stefan not want me over? Or did he just not want me to meet his brother? And if so, Why? Questions were swarming around my head.

"I guess I should go. See you later, Damon. Nice meeting you," I smiled at him.

He smiled back, "It was wonderful meeting you, too, Ariana,"

I turned to Stefan, whose gaze hadn't left Damon since the start of the conversation. "Bye, Stefan," I said softly. He finally turned to look at me, with eyes filled with regret.

But before I could make a complete fool out of myself, I walked out of the house.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh, cry, or die in a freaking ditch. I just hoped that I'd see Stefan again tonight.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

After Ariana left, Damon said, "Great gal. Whoo. She got spunk. What a sweetheart. You, on the other hand," he pointed to Stefan who was still glaring at him, "look pooped. Did you over-exert yourself today? Let me guess...hospital." Stefan had to go to the hospital that day to clear away the memories of Vicki's experience. For, he had no idea what would've happened if she started screaming "vampire" around town.

"Someone had to clean up your mess," Stefan retorted.

"Well, were you successful?" Damon asked, faking curiosity, "Did the powers of persuasion work? Remember, if you don't feed properly, none of those little tricks work right," he smirked.

"How long was Ariana here?" Stefan asked, ignoring Damon.

"Were you worried, Stefan? Scared we may be doomed to repeat the past?" Damon said as Stefan clenched his jaw. "Isn't that why you play your little game, "I'm a high school human"?" Damon mocked Stefan.

"I'm not playing any game," Stefan denied. He was still fuming. He didn't want Damon anywhere near Ariana for multiple reasons.

"Of course you are." Damon stated. "We both know the closest you'll ever get to humanity is when you rip it open, and feed on it."

"What kind of game are you playing, Damon?" Stefan narrowed his eyes at his older brother.

Damon simply smirked and said, "Guess you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

When I got home, I picked up a fruit bar from the kitchen and chewed on it. Jenna came in a few moments later, and before we knew it, we started talking about boys.

"Apparently, he's on the rebound and has raging family issues." I muttered, talking about Stefan, "But, I'm not worried. Because no matter what, we'll still be friends." Even if I did wish that it was more than that.

"Well," Jenna said, "At least it's an ex-girlfriend. Wait till you date a guy with mommy issues or cheating issues. Or amphetamine issues."

"Amphetamine?" I asked, laughing.

"I..." Jenna paused, "Was in a depressing time of my life."

I laughed again.

When Jeremy got home, Jenna went to ask where he was. After the argument between my aunt and brother, I threw away the wrapper from my chewy bar, and went up to my room.

* * *

Bonnie, Elena, and I were handing out pamphlets in the Mystic Falls Square. As if I couldn't get a break, we somehow started talking about Stefan again.

Bonnie was trying, and failing, to pass out pamphlets, "Tonight, night of the comet! Would you like a program," she asked a woman. She ignored Bonnie. "Would you like a program," she asked another person, who just like the one before, ignored her. Then she turned to me, and asked, "He didn't call, huh?"

I didn't have to ask to know who she was referring to. "It's weird. I just noticed that we've never actually exchanged e-mails,"

"That's an important milestone in any relationship," Elena pointed out.

"Whatever," I said indifferently, "We met like three days ago. I'm sure if we give it enough time, we'll get to the "important" stuff," I made bunny ears with my free hand, that wasn't carrying a bunch of flyers.

Bonnie and Elena laughed. Elena said, "You better get to it, or I just might steal him from you,"

"I'd like to see you try," I joked as we both laughed. I was glad to see Elena smiling. Perhaps she was starting to get over Stefan, and forgive me.

* * *

Finally, the sky was starting to turn dark. The town square was full of people, ranging from children to the elderly. The comet was clearly in the sky, moving slowly, looking like a string of white light. To think that this comet only came around every 145 years was astonishing.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Caroline approach me. "Hey," she said, holding up a bunch of mini-sized candles, "I got some candles," She handed one to me.

"Thanks," I said to her. We smiled, and she walked off to go distribute the candles elsewhere. Then Matt came up to me. His hand covered the candle, but I could tell by the illumination of light reflecting off his chest, that his candle was lit. "Hi,"

"Hey," he said back. He uncovered his candles as he stretched out his arm towards mine. The flame flickered and finally separated, causing the string is the candle to catch on fire.

"Thank you," I said to him.

"You're welcome," he said back. I turned my back to him as I went to light someone else's candle. When I looked up, I saw Stefan.

"Thank you. Hi," he said. I nodded back. Well, he certainly looked a lot better. At least, he was smiling, and seemingly enjoying himself. "You know, that comet..." he pointed to the sky, and I followed his gaze to the slow-moving string of light, "it's been traveling across space for thousands of years. All alone."

"Aww," I said, "Poor comet." I fake pouted and he smiled. "Bonnie says it's a harbinger of evil,"

"I think it's just a ball of...snow and ice, trapped on a path that it can't escape," Stefan said, "And once every 145 years, it gets to come home," he faced me and said, "I'm sorry about earlier. I wasn't myself."

"Well," I smirked, "Nobody's perfect,"

"I beg to differ," Stefan said. He was staring at me so intensely that I looked down to my feet, just so I didn't have to look into his green eyes.

"He told me about Katherine," I said suddenly. I wasn't looking at Stefan, but I could guess his reaction: shock.

"That was a long time ago. You don't have to worry about it." he said stiffly.

"No, I know," I assured him, "It's just that I want you to know that you can talk to me, whenever. Whether it's personal or not,"

Stefan smiled, "Thank you, Ariana," He placed an arm lightly upon my shoulders as we gazed up to the comet. We weren't alone like the comet anymore. We had each other...

* * *

After the comet gathering, Stefan gone away, saying that he wanted to find something. Elena, Jeremy, Tyler, Matt, Caroline, Bonnie, and I were at the Grill. They were arguing. Apparently, Vicki was missing. It was getting out of control when I finally said:

"Guys! We have more important things to worry about. We need to find Vicki!" They nodded while Bonnie said;

"We'll check the back," she gestured to Elena, Caroline, and herself.

"I'll walk to the school. See if she's hanging around there," Tyler said, then left.

Matt said, "I'll check the square,"

"I'll come with you," Jeremy piped up.

"Be careful, Jeremy. It's dark, so don't get hurt." I warned him.

"I'm not a little kid," he said, irritated.

"Hey, don't talk to your sister that way," Matt scolded Jeremy.

"Whatever," Jeremy huffed, "I'll search the east side," then he walked of the Mystic Grill. I sighed. What was I supposed to do? It was his choice to do what he wanted, but, was it for better? Or for worse? Vicki was Matt's sister, but I was starting to think she was a bad influence. But Jeremy liked her. Maybe even loved. Who was I to tell him what to do, or what not to do?

"Don't worry about him," Matt said to me, referring to Jeremy, "I'll take care of him,"

"Thanks, Matt," I said, gratefully. He nodded once, then left.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

"You know," Matt started to say to Stefan. They were in the west side of the town square, looking for Vicki. "Ariana and I, we've known each other for a very long time. We might not be together right now, but I look out for her. And I'll always look out for her,"

Stefan was then distracted by the distant screams of Vicki.

* * *

"What are you up to, Damon?" Stefan asked his brother, once Vicki had left the rooftop.

"That's for me to know and for you to...dot dot dot." Damon smirked, "Give Ariana my best."

Then he disappeared.

* * *

Caroline, Elena and Bonnie re-entered the Mystic Grill, once the knew for sure that Vicki was alright. Matt was taking care of her. They each took a seat by a table.

"Ugh," Caroline complained, "It's just so much drama. Ever notice hoe the druggies are the biggest attention whores,"

"I know," Elena agreed completely, "Tell me about it. Vicki's always looking for attention."

"Well-" Bonnie was about to dive her opinion when Stefan suddenly walked up.

He asked, "Excuse me. Have you guys seen Ariana?"

Caroline and Elena gawked at Stefan. Bonnie was the only one who remained calm enough to say, "After seeing that Vicki was okay, she said goodbye, and went home," Then, a thought crossed her mind, and she smiled slyly, "I'm gonna give you Ariana's cell number and her email. She loves to text, and you can tell her..." all the while saying this, Bonnie had taken out a piece of paper and a pen, and had started writing down Ariana's information. "'I said so'."

"Thank you," Stefan said while he reached for the small slip of paper. Then, while he was taking the white slip from her, their fingers brushed against each other. Bonnie's smile immediately disappeared from her face.

"What happened to you," Bonnie asked, staring at Stefan intensely. He looked at her in confusion, because he had an inkling that he knew what she was. "That's so rude," Bonnie said referring to herself. "Excuse me," she stood up and walked away, out through the backdoor.

What was wrong with me? Bonnie thought to herself. "Why did I see death just then when I touched Stefan. Bonnie walked through the cool night air, not waiting to see where she was going.

Back in the Grill, Stefan looked confused as he held the paper with Ariana's number.

"Yeah, she kind of wigs out," Caroline explained.

"It's like her thing," Elena finally snapped out of her "Stefan's so cool, and I'm just going to stare at him" phase.

* * *

Ariana POV:

Once Elena finally got home, she decided to go to bed. At least she had said goodnight to me. That was a step towards forgiveness, wasn't it?

I was about to walk into my own room, when I heard a rustling come from Jeremy's room. Wasn't he still back at the Mystic Grill?

"Jer?" I said uncertainly. I slowly approached his room.

"No, it's me, the hypocrite patrol," I smiled as I heard Jenna's voice. I even started laughing once I saw what she was doing in his room. The sheets on his bed were practically messed up along with his pillows. Shoes and socks were scattered all over the floor, and Jenna was currently looking in one of Jeremy's drawers.

"What are you looking for?" I asked, trying to stifle my laughter.

Jenna explained, "I've become my worst nightmare. The authority figure who has to violate a 15-year-old's privacy." Then, she found a bag of what looked to be white powder. Oh. Now I knew what was going on. She was searching for drugs. "Jackpot. I see the hiding places haven't gotten any more creative." She found another packet in one of Jeremy's socks.

The smile was completely gone from my face. "I know..." I started uncertainly, "That Jeremy has...some issues. But I think that he should be able to figure them out himself. Maybe, in time, he'll learn to grow." I was totally against Jeremy's drug problem, but it wasn't mine, or Jenna's, right to tell him what to do.

"I've given him time," Jenna said sternly, "And he's not getting any more. You wanna know why? Because I'm screwing up,"

"You're not screwing up, Aunt Jenna," I said truthfully.

"Yes, I am," Her eyes were starting to water. "I'm not her," I knew exactly who she was talking about, and it made my throat feel swollen. "She made everything look so easy. You know, high school, marriage, having you...I can't do it. I'm go- gonna say the wrong thing, and he's going to get worse, and it's gonna be my fault. It's impossible..." her voice broke on the last work.

"Oh, Jenna," I said softly. I went over to her, and hugged her. I felt something wet on my shoulder, and I knew she was crying. She wrapped her arms around me. "It's gonna be okay," I assured her, "We're gonna be okay. You're the best aunt, anyone could ever ask for. As long as you're here, we'll all survive, and be happy."

I pulled back to look into her tear stricken face, and smiled. "You know," she cleared her throat, "I'm always questioning which one of us is the adult here,"

"You're still young, very young. If anyone can lead this family, it's you,"

"Thank you," she smiled past her tears. We hugged again, then I said;

"Jeremy will get over this..." I twirled my index finger and pointed to his room, that looked like a bear had mauled it. "I know it. And you'll be okay?"

"As long as you're here too," she said. "And you're right. Jeremy will turn out fine,"

"That's the spirit," I said, and remembered something. "I need to go visit someone. I'll see you in a bit, 'kay?"

"Okay," she said, "And oh, it's late out, before I forget; be careful." She emphasized the last two words.

I chuckled, "Of course, Aunt Jenna,"

I left the house smiling. Everything will turn out okay. But why couldn't I shake the feeling...that this was just beginning...

* * *

When I reached the boarding house, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to see him again.

I realized that I wanted to be with Stefan. Perhaps... he could be the one.

I walked up the steps of the look-alike mansion, and rang the bell. Not even a few seconds later, did the door open to reveal Stefan. He grinned, once he saw that it was me. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," I beamed back, "Um, would you like to join me out here?" I asked him.

"Sure," He said. He closed the door behind him as we walked over to the stone mini-balcony beside the boarding house. We took a seat on the stone, as he turned to face me. He was sitting so close, that if I had leaned forward a few inches, I would have been able to kiss him.

"I was thinking about moving on," I started, "To, at least, try to get over the mourning of my parents. And I thought about...how much I would like it...if I could spend the time...with you," I wasn't looking at him. So I gasped, as I suddenly felt his cool, but electric fingers tilt my chin up, so that I would meet his eyes.

"I was thinking the exact same thing," he said. Then his lips descended upon my own.

Never, in my life, had I felt such passion. The kisses of Matt, and all the other boys, was nothing compared to what I felt now. It was extraordinary.

Stefan's other hand moved to wrap around my hips, pulling me closer. I gasped, as he deepened the kiss. My hands moved up to his hair, and I weaved my fingers through his soft hair. He groaned suddenly, and pulled away. Heat and passion covered his features, and I could see, that I had messed up his hair.

We were both panting hard, when I asked, "What's wrong,"

"If we don't stop now," he took a breath, "I'm afraid I might not be able to stop,"

I giggled. Stefan looked so sexy right then and there, that I almost said I wouldn't have minded if he did.

"Well, then," I said, untangling out of his arms, and standing up, "See you tomorrow," Bending down to give him one last kiss, I turned away. I could feel his eyes on me the whole time, before I finally got into my car, and drove back home.

When my parents had died, I thought that I would never be able to love again. Well tonight, proved me wrong...

* * *

**Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who is reading and reviewing my story. Just to let you all know, I will try to update a new chapter every other day. Please review! And thank you!**

**-Spiralcloud **


	4. Friday Night Bites

**FRIDAY NIGHT BITES**

"I'm not saying don't date the guy. I'm just saying take it slow," Bonnie and I were standing on the sidewalk at school, and she was trying to convince me to not go "all the way" with Stefan.

"Oh, really, Ms. Bennett?" I teased Bonnie, "Who was the one who said for me to "go for it"?"

"I know what I said. But now, I'm saying, take it slow," she said. I looked at her, confused. Why is she suddenly so concerned about me being with Stefan? Just a few days ago, she was telling me how hot she though he was.

"Why? What happened? Did he do something?"

"No! No, nothing like that...it's just..." Bonnie paused, "Look. For the first time since like, the sixth grade, you're single. It's the perfect time to play the field."

"Bonnie," I giggled, "You know I don't "play the field". But, seriously, what're you not telling me."

She bit her lip, and looked away,"...It's stupid..."

"It can't be stupid Bonnie," I assured her, "Whatever you have to say; I'll listen," I gave her a "go ahead" look.

She sighed. "I accidentally touched Stefan. And... I got a really bad feeling." I was surprised. It was because of a bad feeling? I was expecting her to say that she had witnessed Stefan doing something bad. Or even, having her say that Stefan was, well, with another girl.

But a bad feeling? "You mean, like, one of your psychic visions?" I asked. I felt weird just saying it.

"Sort of," Bonnie said. Great. How was I gonna deal with a witch best friend, if one really did exist. There was enough crap that I already had to deal with in life. Just add "witch" to the list. See what happens. What's next? Vampires? "Look, I'm just concerned. I just don't want to see you get hurt. This is me expressing concern about my best friend's new boyfriend."

Boyfriend. I liked the sound of that. I smiled. "Thanks, Bonnie. You know, I love you so much. But I feel really good. And it's all because of you, my friends, family, and now Stefan,"

"Okay," Bonnie succumbed, "Fine. But promise me you'll be careful."

"Promise,"

"Good," she said, and then gave me a hug.

Once we broke apart, Bonnie's eyes shifted from mine, to behind me. And suddenly, her smile was gone. I turned around slightly and saw Stefan walking up to us.

"Good morning, Ariana," He nodded to me, as I smiled. "Good morning, Bonnie,"

"Hey," Bonnie said uncomfortably, "I gotta do find...Caroline. She's not answering her phone. So I'll see you guys later."

"Okay," I said worried, "Tell her I said 'hi', " She nodded once, then turned around, and half-jogged away. Wow. She really thought that Stefan was bad news, didn't she?

I was also worried about Caroline. Neither Bonnie, Elena, or I, had gotten calls from her. Not even a text message.

Stefan broke me out of my thoughts, by saying, "She doesn't like me very much,"

I felt bad for him. I didn't think Stefan was a bad guy at all. I mean, what drew me towards him, part of it was because of how gentlemanly he was.

"She's my best friend. She's just looking out for me. But when she starts getting to know you, she'll love you," Or at least, I hope she will. But, I didn't add that part.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Matt and Tyler were throwing the football to each other across the lawn. When Tyler caught the ball, he spotted Ariana and Stefan, walking together, towards them.

"Look," Tyler said to Matt, "There's Ariana and her new boyfriend. Now what are they doing? Oh, they're walking, walking, walking. Yep. Right into the sunset." He through the ball to Matt. Matt followed Tyler's line of gaze.

"You're a dick," Matt said, as he frowned.

"Who knows," Tyler said, as he caught Matt's throw, "Maybe she'll dump this guy, and come looking for me," he smirked.

"In your dreams..." Matt muttered. But his clenched jaw suggested that he was angered by Tyler's comment.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

"Here's what we should do," I walked till I was right in front of Stefan, then I turned around, and faced him. He stopped walking. "Are you busy tonight?"

Stefan didn't even pause for a second: "No."

"Cool," I said, "Come, eat dinner. My house. 8:00. You, me, Bonnie, Elena. You'll all spend some quality time together. And you can show Bonnie what a great guy you are. Mission accomplished." I smiled, as he gave a little laugh.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Matt threw the ball back to Tyler, eyeing Stefan and Ariana. "Hey," he asked Tyler, "What am I supposed to do, Ty? She made her choice." Even though he hated it.

"Let her know she made the wrong one." Tyler said, after he caught the ball. He looked over to the couple.

"What are you doing," Matt looked to Tyler as if what Tyler was about to do was insane. "Ty, don't! Ty!"

It was too late. Tyler threw the ball in Stefan's direction. The ball whizzed through the air as a perfect spiral. It was about to hit the back of Stefan's head, when suddenly, faster than anybody could comprehend, Stefan whirled around, and caught the ball.

Stefan gave a little wave with the ball in his hand, then through it back. Even Tyler had a tough time trying to catch the returned ball. The two best friends were shocked. When Stefan turned back around to face Ariana, she giggled.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

"Oh, my god," I said to Stefan, once we were inside the school's hallway. The first bell had rung, so I was busy getting my books out of my locker, while Stefan waited for me. I was still shocked to believe what had happened just outside a moment ago. "That throw was insane. You must play football,"

"I don't, but I used to," Stefan clarified, "A long time ago,"

Then, suddenly, an idea popped into my mind, "You should try out for the team!"

"Yeah," Stefan said, "I don't think so..."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Well," he explained, "I love football. I think it's a great sport. But in this case, I don't think football likes me." he smirked, "You saw Tyler over there, and we both know how Matt feels."

"Oh, please," I pushed him playfully, "You just gotta get with the program. Show 'em what you got. You know, that kind of attitude."

He smirked, "Oh, and what about you?"

"_I_," I dragged out the word, "Cheerlead," his eyes lit up. "So you, should join the team, and we'll fulfill the stereotype that "jocks date cheerleaders". And while you play, you'll know that I will be cheering you on."

"Care to show me some time,"

"I would love to," I smiled at him. Then, he pulled me into a kiss.

* * *

Once I got to History class, I sat next to Elena, while Stefan sat on my other side. Bonnie was seated somewhere near the back. I made a motion for her to sit behind me, but she was too engrossed in whatever is was she was writing down in her notebook.

I wasn't paying attention - like always - when Mr. Tanner called my name;

"Miss Gilbert?" I knew he wasn't talking about Elena because he was staring right at me. But apparently, Elena thought that he was.

"What!" Elena suddenly shouted annoyed. I realized that Elena had been sleeping. Her eyes were red, and her hair looked like a bird's nest. But her scrunched up eyes suddenly widened as she took in the classroom. I guess she forgot to realize that she was in a class full of children. Because then, the entire class erupted in laughter, as she blushed red like a tomato.

"The other Gilbert," Mr. Tanner teared his gaze from me to look at my embarrassed twin.

"Ye-Yes," she stuttered, only making the class laugh harder.

"For sleeping in class, disrupting my teaching and my students learning, you have detention," Mr. Tanner then signed a blue sheet of paper and handed it to Elena.

"But-but-" Elena started to complain.

"No buts," Mr. Tanner said sternly. The class continued to laugh. "Alright, now back to Pearl Harbor," he looked at me again. Damn it. "Miss Gilbert, the one who wasn't sleeping,"

A few kids snickered but instantly shut up when Tanner glared at them. I felt bad for Elena, but I couldn't help but feel nervous that the teacher was staring me down.

But before I could give an answer, that would've been incorrect, next to me, Stefan said, "December 7, 1941."

"Thank you," Mr. Tanner said sarcastically, "Miss _Gilbert,"_ he emphasized my last name.

"Anytime," Stefan replied with a smile. Thank God for Stefan. Totally just saved my from myself.

"Very well," Tanner said, "The fall of the Berlin wall."

"1989. I'm good with dates, sir," Stefan said.

"Are you?" Mr. Tanner challenged, "How good? Keep it to the year. Civil Rights Act."

"1964." Was Stefan's immediately reply. How did he know all of these dates. I sighed. I really needed to pay attention more. Or I'll end up like Elena, who was trying to keep herself from bursting into tears.

"John F. Kennedy assassination." Said Tanner.

"1963." I started looking back and forth between Stefan and Mr. Tanner. They were having, what Caroline would call, a "showdown".

"Martin Luther King." Tanner said.

"'68." Came Stefan's reply.

"Lincoln."

"1865."

"Roe vs. Wade."

"1973."

"Brown vs. Board."

"1954."

"The Battle of Gettysburg."

"1863."

"Korean War."

Their staring contest was so intense, that it was hard to look at them, but harder to look away.

"1950 to 1953."

"Ha!" Mr. Tanner said, in a very non-teacher like attitude. "It ended in '52."

"Uh," Stefan disagreed, "Actually, sir, it was '53."

"Look it up, somebody. Quickly." Mr. Tanner said urgently.

To the far right and back of me, came an answer, "It was 19... 53."

Mr. Tanner's ego dropped as the whole class started clapping. "Nice," I said, clapping slowly, sending an unspoken thought just between us. He smiled at me.

* * *

After class, Stefan and I walked out into the hallway, where students were already piling into. "Hi, Mr. 'I know more than the teacher does'." I teased Stefan, "How did you know all of those dates?"

"Years, and years of crossword puzzles," Stefan smirked, "It's what people do when they're not jocks,"

I laughed. The bell for the next class was about to ring, so I said to him, "Come on, let's go," He reached down and took my hand as we walked to French. I could feel the electric buzz the entire way there...

* * *

After school, I had cheerleading practice. I could see Stefan sitting on the bleachers, watching the football team intensely. I could almost guess his thoughts: _Wow, are football team really sucks. _They were playing football on the center of felid which was about seventy yards away. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw Mr. Tanner give Tyler a rebuke. Aww...poor Tyler.

I guess Stefan really must have riled the coach up. Because now, Tanner was taking out his anger on the football kids.

I was dressed in a outfit that was fit for cheerleading. I had on a navy blue tank top, black short-shorts, and white sneakers. My hair was in a high-ponytail, as a few strands of curls were loose. I was sitting next to Bonnie on the benches, when she suddenly said, "Hey, Elena. Guess you decided to show up."

I followed Bonnie's gaze and saw Elena approaching us. She wore an olive-green tank, blue shorts, and black sneakers. Her hair was also in a ponytail. But because her hair was so thin, it didn't look quite right. Her face was also in a frown. Guess she still had the "bruise" from Mr. Tanner's remark. Then, that reminded me.

"Hey," I said to her, "Don't you have detention with Mr. Tanner,"

"Oh," Bonnie said, and giggled, "I heard about that. You, sleeping in class,"

Elena glared at us. "Yeah, well, since _Tanner_," she sneered his name, "Had to coach the stupid team," she shrugged, "he let me go,"

"That was nice of him," I said, even though Mr. Tanner was probably doing it for his own benefit. Though, he could have just sent her to some other teacher. There's always at least one of them making some poor kid's life miserable.

"No," she denied, "It was not! Mr. Tanner's such a dick! Even Stefan knows more than he does. God, I swear, some day, he's going to get murdered for his stuck up - but we all know - nonexistent, ego!" Bonnie and I glanced at each other, then back to her. We could both see her glaring at the teacher who was now coaching Matt. I wouldn't have doubted for a second if Elena said she would someday murder him.

"Well," I said, trying to clear the air of awkwardness and...death - coming from Elena. "How about, tonight, you," I pointed to Bonnie, "And you," I pointed to Elena whose anger still hadn't faded away, "Stefan, and I, have dinner at our house," referring to mine and Elena's house. "And we'll all get to bond over how much of a 'jack-ass'," I made quotation marks with my fingers. "Mr. Tanner is. How 'bout it."

"Sure, I'm in," Elena said, still standing instead of sitting down.

"Um..." Bonnie hesitated.

"Come on, Bonnie," I tried to persuade her. "It'll be fun. Just the four of us. And I'll order takeout," I winked, "because we all know that I can't cook."

Bonnie and Elena laughed. Elena said, "That's so true,"

"Hey," I smirked at her, "You can't cook any better than I. Remember that time you tried cooking that chicken in the microwave with the tin foil still under it?"

"..." Elena couldn't find anything to say.

"Oh, yeah," Bonnie laughed, "You told me! It caught on fire, didn't it!"

"Yep," I laughed too. "We had to get that "ice bucket" and pour it onto the microwave. Aunt Jenna freaked!" I laughed, recalling the memory. It was about a month ago, when Elena was trying to prove that she could do anything. So she tried making dinner, and it turned out that we were having a super burnt chicken...or, at least, whatever was left of it.

"Okay," Elena said, "Enough. I've been made fun of already today. No need to rub salt on the wound."

"Sorry," Bonnie tried to stifle her laughter, but couldn't.

"Yeah, sorry," I was still smiling.

"And, I'll go," Bonnie told me, referring to today's dinner.

"Good," I replied.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Matt and Tyler were on the field practicing, when they saw Stefan come over to them in some football gear. Mr. Tanner must have allowed him to "try-out".

"First my girlfriend," Matt said, annoyed, "Now my team?"

Tyler said, "Dude, this is an opportunity. Football's a contact sport." He smirked, "Sometimes, people get hurt. Whoo! Ha ha!" Tyler said, as he ran over to the rest of the team, leaving behind a sullen looking Matt. He sighed.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

The afternoon sun shone brightly. The suns rays were yellow-orange as it lit up the entire school. It was pretty, even though, I couldn't look directly at the sun. Bringing me out of my own thoughts, Bonnie suddenly asked, "Where is Caroline?"

I was wondering the same thing, "I don't know. It's not like her. She'd usually text, but she hasn't responded to any of mine. I called her a few times, but she didn't pick up. I hope she's okay..." I said.

Then, I saw a car pull up in the middle driveway. It was an eggshell blue color, and the hood was down, so I could easily see the people inside. Damon was the person behind the steering wheel. He gave me a wink, and I would've felt happy, if not for the person next to him. It was Caroline.

I looked, shocked, when Caroline gave him a kiss, and stepped out of the car.

"Umm..." I said, not really knowing what comment I should have made. Then, with a wave, Damon drove away.

"Whoa," Elena was awed, "What a hot guy,"

"No kidding," Bonnie agreed, "That must be the mysterious guy from the grill,"

"Actually," I said, "That's Damon Salvatore, Stefan's brother."

"You know him?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah," I responded, "I met him the other day when I was looking for Stefan..." I trailed off, when Caroline walked up to me, and said, "I got the other brother. Hope you don't mind."

"Bitch," Elena muttered. "When's _my_ hot guy gonna come swoop _me_ up, huh?" She asked no one in particular.

"Come on, guys," I told them, "We're starting," I looked to Caroline, and tilted my head to the side, at what she was wearing. There was a scarf around her neck, and it was the middle of the summer. Strange.

"Sorry I'm late, girls. I, uh, was busy." Caroline said. Yeah, "busy". "All right, let's start." She took her position in the front of all the girls. Bonnie, Elena, and I, each took out own position. "Let's start with the double hurdler. And 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8." I was doing the routine, when Caroline suddenly said, "Elena, why don't you just observe today? Ok?"

I felt bad as I saw Elena stand at the back of the cheerleading squad. Caroline had sent me the routines over the summer, and Bonnie had also helped me practice. But, Elena, didn't care to practice, so she hadn't learnt anything.

"Keep going," Caroline shouted. I sighed, and continued the practice. "Do it again from the top. And 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8." Cheerleading practice continued on.

* * *

I think Elena had gone home, because when practice was over, I couldn't find her anywhere. But I did see Stefan.

"Hey," I jogged up to him. He was covered in sweat from the workout. "Did Tanner let you on the team?"

"Yep," he said. "I saw you cheerleading. You're really good, probably the best."

I shrugged, "Thanks. I practice. I let Caroline be the leader, cause, well, you know. I don't want her to be mad at me. She's my best friend."

"That's really kind of you," Stefan smiled.

"Thank you," I smiled. "So, see you later, tonight?"

"I'll be there,"

"Great," I walked back to my car, and drove home, to set up tonight's dinner.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

When Stefan got back to the boarding house, he walked into his room, and saw Damon on the couch, reading Stefan's diary.

"How were tryouts," Damon asked, pretending to be interested, "Did you make the team? Very Emerson," he was referring to the diary, "the way you reveal your soul with so many...Adjectives." he smirked. Stefan walked over to Damon, and ripped the journal out of his brother's hands.

He was wrapping the string around his journal, when Stefan asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to apologize," Damon lied, though Stefan was unaware. Damon got up off the couch, and walked towards Stefan. "I've been doing some thinking, some soul searching, and...I want us to start over. We need to put the past behind us. You're my little brother, and if you want to live a normal, happy human life, than that's what I want for you. Maybe...I can do it, too." Damon seemed so genuine, that Stefan actually started to believe him. "That I can learn to be a non-living living person. Maybe there's hope for both of us."

Damon couldn't help himself anymore, he bursted out laughing. Damon's hand went to his little brother's shoulder. "You know," Stefan said, "It doesn't have to be this way, Damon."

"Of course it doesn't," Damon smirked, "I saw Ariana today," Stefan glared at Damon, "BTW. That means 'by the way.' She was at cheerleading practice. She looked so perky in her little short-shorts."

Stefan growled at him. "Stay. Away from her."

"Just...simmer down," Damon smirked, "I didn't even go near her. I've got my own cheerleader now. Ooh," Damon pretended to look down at a watch, "that reminds me... I gotta run. I have a date," he put his hands up, palms facing towards Stefan, "Sweaty palms. Wish me good luck." Damon strode out of Stefan's room.

Stefan clenched his jaw.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

It was about 7:30, and Bonnie, Elena, and I, were setting up dinner at the dining room table. We went into the kitchen to collect napkins and utensils, when we started talking about Bonnie's "psychic" abilities.

"You explain it," Bonnie was saying. "Last night, I'm watching Nine-o, a commercial breaks come on and I'm like, I bet it's that phone commercial. And sure enough, it's that guy and girl with the bench, he flies to Paris and he flies back. They take a picture."

"Yeah, right," Elena refused to believe her, "You watch TV way too much. I've seen that commercial...like...a zillion times."

"Fine," Bonnie said, "Well, how 'bout this? Today I'm obsessed with numbers. Three numbers. I keep seeing; 8, 14, 22. How weird id that?"

"Ooh," I said, "Maybe we should play the lottery. That way, we can hire ourselves a personal chef." Bonnie smiled, I continued and asked, "Have you talked to your Grams?"

"She's just gonna say it's because I'm a witch." Bonnie said, "I don't want to be a witch. Do you guys want to be a witch?"

"Nope," Elena said, popping the 'p'.

"Exactly." Bonnie said.

Then, I said, "Actually, I think you should embrace it," They both gave me an "are you insane" looks. "If your Grams says you're a witch," I shrugged, "Then maybe you should give her time to explain her reasonings on why she thinks that."

"Hmm," Bonnie looked as if she just realized it, "Maybe you're right. I'll go ask her, next time she isn't drunk," she paused, "If there ever is a time she's not drunk."

I shook my head, and laughed.

I saw Elena putting the to-go food into a China bowl. I knew she'd give up on cooking.

"Putting it in a nice bowl isn't fooling anybody," Bonnie said to her, speaking my thoughts.

"Whatever," Elena said back.

"Alright," I spoke up, "We have forks, spoons, napkins, plates...all we need are the serving spoons," I looked into one of the close drawers to try to find one. I got nothing.

"Middle drawer on your left," Bonnie said, suddenly. I raised my eyebrows in question, and looked to her. As I pulled the drawer open, I found the serving spoons. I held one up for them to see. Bonnie smiled in victory, but Elena said,

"Whoa, Bonnie. Don't go all freaky on us," Bonnie turned to glare at Elena.

"Cool, Bonnie," I said, before they could get into a fight, "So, you are a witch, after all."

"I guess I'll find out once I visit my Grams," she said. Then, the doorbell rang. Bonnie stiffened.

"Okay," I said, "He's here. Don't be nervous, guys. Oh, and Elena?" she turned towards me. "Could you help put the food and utensils on the table, while I get the door."

"No," she said. "Do it yourself,"

"I'll do it," Bonnie said, glaring at Elena again, and moving to pick up the plates.

"Thanks, Bonnie," I said gratefully. I sighed. Elena could be so difficult sometimes.

Once I opened the front door, Stefan kissed me. No longer was he all sweaty. He actually smelled _really _good. I couldn't place his scent.

* * *

At dinner, Bonnie sat at the front of the table. Stefan and I occupied one side, as Elena sat on the other side. We all started eating, while the silence was deafening.

"So..." Elena started awkwardly, "Did Tanner give you a hard time today?" She directed the question towards Stefan.

"Well," Stefan answered, "he let me on the team, so I must have done something right."

I nudged him playfully, and he smiled at me. He was so modest. "Bonnie," I said, "He was amazing today. He threw the ball and-"

She cut me off. "Yeah, I heard."

It was silent for a few more seconds, when I suddenly thought of something, "Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?" I asked Bonnie.

"Um," she looked at me weirdly, "divorced, No mom. Live with my dad."

"I'm talking about the witches," I tuned to Stefan, "It's really cool."

"'Cool'," she said, "Isn't the word I'd use."

"Well," Stefan started, "It's certainly interesting. I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800's."

Whoa, Stefan seemed to know everything, huh?

"My family came by way of Salem," Bonnie stated.

"Really," Stefan asked in disbelief, "Salem witches?"

"Yeah,"

"I would say that's pretty cool." Stefan said. I smiled.

"Really? Why?" Bonnie questioned. Mission accomplished. Bonnie was starting to be interested in what Stefan was saying.

"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity." Stefan explained all "knowledgable" like.

"Yeah, they are." Bonnie agreed, a hint of a smile on her face. Yay! They were talking to each other.

Then, the doorbell rang. Elena, Bonnie, and Stefan looked to me in confusion. "Is someone else joining?" Elena asked.

"I don't think so," I said, "I'll get it." Even though that's what I said, Elena followed me.

When I opened the door, I had to blink a couple times. "Surprise," Caroline said in a giddy voice. "Bonnie said you were doing dinner, so we brought desert."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Elena sneered from behind me. She must still be mad at Caroline for making her "observe". Caroline just silently glared back.

"Elena, don't be rude," I scolded her. Elena was about to talk back, when she finally noticed the guy that was behind Caroline: Damon. Elena was gawking at him.

"Hope you don't mind." Damon said to me as he smirked. I had no idea why they were here, but, well, Caroline was one of my best friends, and Damon was Stefan's brother.

But, just when I was about to invite them in, a voice behind me suddenly asked sternly, "What are you doing here?" It was Stefan. He wrapped an arm around my waist possessively, and pulled me back slightly, so that I was a few inches behind him.

Damon's glanced at the hand wrapped around me, then his eyes locked with mine. "Waiting for Ariana to invite me in."

I almost got lost in his ice blue eyes, as I said, "Oh. Of course, you can-"

My invitation was cut off as Stefan said, "No, no, no. He can't, uh... he can't stay. Can you, Damon?" The two brothers were staring at each other intensely. One with a smirk, the other with a frown.

Caroline was already in my house. "Get in here," she said to him. As if it was up to her to decide who I can or can't invite into my house. But then, I realized that Stefan can't either.

"It's okay," I said to Stefan. He was pulling me so tight against his body, that I could barely breathe. I could feel how tense he was, as if any second he would snap. My gaze went back to Damon's, "You can come it, Damon."

Stefan's eyes followed his every movement as Damon entered the house. "You have a beautiful home, Ariana." he said to me.

"That you," I replied. There was something off about him. And what was he doing with Caroline?

* * *

After that, everyone got seated in the living room. Stefan, Bonnie, and I were seated on the couch, with me in the middle. Elena sat in the chair closest to Bonnie as she continued to shamelessly check out Damon. Caroline sat on the love seat closest to Stefan, with Damon on her other side. Stefan had settled for holding my hand gently.

"I cannot believe Mr. Tanner let you on the team." Caroline said, talking to Stefan. "Tyler must be seething." He was. "But good for you. Go for it."

"That's what I always tell him." Damon said. "You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it." He smirked.

"Yeah," Caroline then looked to Elena, "Elena wasn't so lucky today. It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines."

I could see from Elena's face that she was pissed off. She's been having a pretty bad day. "Caroline," I said, "I missed summer camp, and I still learnt them. I'll work with her. She'll get it."

I tried to send a reassuring smile Elena's way.

"I guess we can put her in the back..." Caroline said thoughtfully. Oh, no. Please, God...I tried to plead, but it didn't work. Elena snapped.

"You know what Caroline: Fuck you!" Elena got out of her seat, and shouted in rage at Caroline. Four mouths popped open; Damon's in amusement, Stefan and Bonnie's in unexpected surprise, and Caroline's in hurt. I was the only one who knew this would happen. Elena continued to scream, "You're always bossing everyone around. Being all 'I'm Caroline, a dumb blonde, I can do anything I want'. Well, guess what," she pointed her index finger at Damon, who was looking at Elena like she was crazy, "_He's _probably only with you for the sex!"

"That's enough, Elena!" Bonnie commanded, as she glared daggers at Elena.

"No!" Elena turned to Bonnie. Stefan's hand automatically tightened around mine, as Elena came closer. "You're just as bad. You only care about yourself and your stupid lineage. You're the 'witch', or whatever the hell. You freak!"

I gasped, "Elena, please..." I tried to plead with her. Both Bonnie and Caroline were on the verge of tears.

"Shut up, Ariana. I don't want to hear it." she said to me. Then, after her tirade, she glared at Bonnie and Caroline, and went up to her room, slamming the door. Not only was my brother turning his back on me, but so was my sister.

I didn't realize there were tears in my eyes until Stefan wiped them away with his cool fingers. "Shh..." he said softly. He wrapped both arms around me as I leaned my head back against his chest. It felt right there. I felt complete. He kissed my head softly. I said to my friends, "I'm sorry guys, she's just under lots of stress."

"It's not your fault, Ariana." Bonnie said, a grim on her face. "Elena's just not a nice person."

"We always knew it," Caroline spoke up, "Since she was your sister, we didn't want to upset you by leaving her out. But once a bitch, always a bitch. Not to offend you or anything," she said to me.

"It's okay. What she did was way out of line." I told them. I looked to Damon, who was, for the first time ever, not smirking.

"You okay?" he asked me. There was nothing in his features which suggested that he was trying to be mean. No laughter in his eyes whatsoever.

I could tell that everyone was surprised by Damon's change. I couldn't see him, but I knew that Stefan must have been confused. So was I. "I'm fine," I lied. I didn't want anyone to worry. "I'm going to, um, put the dishes in the washer," I was about to get up when Bonnie said,

"No, I'll do it."

"It's fine, really," I said back. She gave me a look understanding, she finally caught on that I just wanted to be alone. After giving Stefan's hand a squeeze, I walked into the kitchen. I could feel all four of their concerned gazes on me as I turned the corner...

* * *

I was just about to close the door of the dishwasher, when a voice rang out. "One more," Damon called as he entered the kitchen with a glass. He was smiling, so I automatically smiled too.

"Thanks," I said as I reached for the glass. Suddenly, his hand slipped and it dropped, but he was able to catch it. Then, he handed it to me. Did he just drop it on purpose? "Nice save," I laughed. It felt good to laugh, especially after that huge fight that had just happened between my sister and best friends.

"It's good to see you smiling again," Damon said. "I'm sorry that your sister acts that way. She should treat you better."

"Says the guy who seems to be on the last straw with his own brother," I teased.

He smirked. I knew it would finally happen. "I like you," he said, "You know how to laugh. And you make Stefan smile, which is something I haven't seen in a very long time. Everything started with her..." he trailed off. I didn't have to ask to know who he was referring to.

"What happened to her?" I asked softly. It was obvious that he had really cared about Katherine too.

"She died. Tragic fire." Damon said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I felt really bad for the two brothers. They had lost a girl that they had really loved. "What was she like?" I asked softly.

"She was beautiful," He smirked, "A lot like you in that department," he looked like he was trying not to laugh from an inside joke. I smiled, he called me beautiful. Well, indirectly, but still. "She was also very complicated and selfish and at times not very kind, but very sexy and seductive."

It sounded like me and Elena. Good twin, evil twin. Once I had the dishwasher running, I started to fold the table cloths.

"I saw you cheerleading today," Damon said, suddenly. "Elena wasn't doing to well. But you, on the other hand, looked fantastic." He smirked.

"Thank you." I said. "Bonnie helped me with the routines so that I didn't fall behind,"

"It was more than that." Damon said, and then he leaned forward so that his lips were almost touching my ear. His breath tickled me, as he said, "I won't tell Caroline if you decide to do it; but I think you should become the captain of the cheerleading squad, or whatever it is you call it." He pulled back and stared into my eyes.

"No, it's okay," I said. Trying to keep my voice steady, I could hardly focus. What was Damon doing to me? My heart was beating a mile per minute. "It used to be more fun. But Caroline loves it, she practically lives for it. So," I shrugged, "I let her lead. Anyways, she's born to be a leader. Can't you tell?" I smiled.

He chuckled, "I can. But so are you," he said to me. I blushed as I caught on to what he was saying. He thought that I was born to be a leader? Me?_ Yeah, right. _I thought sarcastically.

"Need some help?" I heard Bonnie's voice. I looked at her, and smiled.

"Sure," Damon smirked, as he turned around, "Why not?"

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

"Matt tries," Caroline said to Stefan. They were the only ones left in the living room, "But he's just having a really hard time. You have to understand that they were each other's first, like, from the sandbox."

Stefan knew that Ariana was together with him now. But he couldn't help but feel jealous when he realized just how close Matt and Ariana were.

* * *

After Damon compelled Caroline to go help Ariana and Bonnie with the dishes, Stefan glared at his brother. "All right," he said, "You've had your fun. You used Caroline, you got to meet Ariana, good for you. Now it's time for you to go."

"That's the problem," Damon smirked, "Because... I've been invited in, and I'll come back tomorrow night and the following night and I'll do with your pretty, little cheerleader whatever I want to do. Because that is what is _normal _to me."

Stefan had to restrain himself from punching Damon in the face. Stefan had to protect Ariana, no matter the cost...

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

_I couldn't remember how Stefan and I had gotten into my room, but, I felt comfortable with him as we sat on my huge four-poster bed._

_"Tonight wasn't so bad. I had fun. Maybe, minus the whole Elena part." I said._

_"Hmm." Stefan mused, "That makes one of us," he was referring to the "fun" part._

_"Come on," I said, "Your brother isn't as bad as you seem to think. Actually, he was-"_

_I was cut off by Stefan, when he kissed me. Passion flooded through me as he pushed me gently across my soft bed. He leaned over me and deepened the kiss. Then, as he lifted up his arms to take off his shirt, I screamed. It wasn't Stefan, it was Damon._

I woke up, panting. It was just a dream. No worries, just a dream. But, why had it felt so real?

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Stefan was in his room, writing in his diary, as he realized that there was a way that he could protect Ariana. It definitely wouldn't be full protection, but it was a start.

He took out a small wooden box, and inside, lay a necklace.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Today, was the day of the football game. With Stefan's help, the team might just win a game finally. I spotted Stefan, who was walking towards me, in the high school jersey, smiling.

"Ooh," I said, "Don't you look hot."

"I could say the same about you," he looked down to my cheerleading outfit, as his eyes heated. He shook his head, and looked back up to my eyes. "I wanted...to give you something." He said. He pulled out a small dark brown box from his back pocket, and opened it. His fingers took ahold of something inside, and he held it up for my to see.

I gasped. It was beautiful. The thin silver chain was weaved through a silver round locket. On the locket, were intricate designs that surrounded one ruby stone. "Oh, my god, it's so beautiful," I breathed out, then shook my head. I couldn't take something like this. It was probably an antique, and very expensive. "But I can't," I said to Stefan. "It seems...too much."

"I've never wanted to give this to anyone...until now," Stefan said. My heart swelled. The look he gave me, made me accept his gift.

"Thank you, so much," I said, gratefully.

"You can wear it for it for good luck," he said. I tuned around, and pulled my hair to one shoulder, as he clasped the necklace around my neck. His fingers lingered there for a few seconds, then they were replaced by his lips.

"Stefan," I giggled as he kissed my neck. "I..can't... think straight...when you... do that," I turned around, and his lips left my skin. But his arms were still wrapped around me.

He kissed me on the lips once, then said, "I want to thank you for making me try out for the team. It feels really good,"

"Your welcome," I said, "And anyways. We're a pair." I smiled. He bent down, and kissed me, long and slow.

I let myself forget about everything. About Jeremy, Elena...my parents. I relaxed into Stefan's arms...

* * *

The sky was turning dark when I saw Jeremy and Tyler fighting. Not again... I thought. The game was less than an hour away. Then, I saw Stefan there, trying to break the two apart.

"Jeremy, no!" I yelled as Jeremy struck at Stefan with a broken glass bottle, slicing my boyfriend's hand. I saw the blood from his hand glisten in the stadium lights.

"Tyler, knock it off!" I heard Matt yell. "Stop!" He pulled Tyler away from Jeremy. I saw a cut on his forehead.

"Jeremy!" I shouted half-angry, half-worried, "Put your head up, you're bleeding." I went to put my hand on his face. He smacked my arm away.

"I'm fine! Just stop okay." I looked to him, hurt.

"Hey, not cool man," Matt came up to him.

"Leave me alone," Jeremy stormed off.

"Hey," Matt came over to me and hugged me, "It's okay. Jeremy's just a bit drunk. He's not thinking straight."

"I'm worried that he never will," I admitted to him. He took my face between his palms.

"It'll be okay." He said. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw him start to lean forward. Then, I remembered something.

I gasped. I whipped my head around, and saw Stefan looking at us, sadly. "Stefan!" I choked out. I wasn't paying attention to his facial emotions right then, so I ran up to him. "Your hand!" I remembered the deep gash that I'd seen. "Is it okay?"

"It's fine," he assured me.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." He opened his palm and showed me the smooth skin. No cut. No blood. "He missed. It wasn't my blood. I'm fine."

I was certain that I had seen the glass slash his skin. I was absolutely positive. But there was no evidence. And anyways, he seemed fine, that's what was most important.

"Alright, if you're fine, then I believe you," I wasn't really sure if I did believe him, but I had to trust him. I turned around, just in time to see Matt, walking away, his head down.

"I think it's kick-off time," Stefan said, uncomfortably. So many emotions were running through me, that I couldn't place an individual one. "I'll see you at the game,"

"Okay..." I said. He kissed me once, then ran off to join the rest of the football players. I watched him leave, wondering: Where the hell did that cut go? Run away? I swear, Caroline would start freaking out once she realized I was already turning senile.

* * *

"Hey!" Bonnie asked, once she saw me, "Where have you been, the game's about to start."

"Just trying to figure out my brother." I replied solemnly, "Bonnie, can you tell me what happened when you touched Stefan. And I mean the bad feeling that you got."

"Oh," Bonnie said, "Don't worry about it. Your dinner party plot totally won me over," She smiled.

I gave her a pleading look, "Bonnie, can you please explain it to me. Or, did you see something?"

Bonnie must have seen the serious look on my face, because she answered, "When I touched Stefan, it was a feeling. And it vibrated through me," Vibrated? "and it was cold, and..." she paused, "...and I imagined... death."

* * *

I pondered over what Bonnie had told me as I walked towards the parking lot. What was Stefan? And who was his brother? I had totally forgot to bring my pom poms from the car. Anyways, I still had a few minutes till it was time to cheer. I took out my pom poms from the trunk, and turned around. I almost stumbled right into Damon.

"Oh, geez," I said, catching my breath, "You scared me,"

"Sorry," He smirked. Once I thought that him smirking was friendly, now it seemed dangerous. He lowered his voice to a whisper, "I'm hiding from Caroline." Wow, he was hiding from Caroline? That was... I didn't even know what to think about that. He continued, "I needed a break. She talks more than I can listen." Wasn't that nice, I thought sarcastically.

"Maybe it could be a sign," I said to Damon. His eyes twinkled.

"Well, she's awfully young," He said. Okay, that was total bullshit, and he knew it.

"Look," I said to him, "I get that Caroline can sometimes be a bit shallow. But she's been my best friend forever. And you can be nice, when you want to," he stopped smiling, "But, that doesn't excuse you from being respectful. I don't want to see her hurt. So, either, you break it off with her completely, or you get used to her. Because, if you keep stringing her along... you'll break her heart."

He smirked, "How do you explain the connection between you and Matt, then?"

"How do you know about that?"

He shrugged, "Stefan's my brother."

I sighed, and ran my fingers through my long wavy hair. "I've made it perfectly clear to Matt that we're over. But you..." I narrowed my eyes when he smirked, "say one thing, while you mean the other."

"You're right," he admitted, "I do have other intentions," His ice blue eyed seemed to melt. "But so do you."

Oh, really, "And what would they be?" I asked him.

"I see it," He said, "You want me." Okay, I'll admit, my first thought was; how did he know? But, though Damon was a hot guy, he was probably the most confusing person I'd ever met. And, besides, I was with Stefan. "I get to you." He continued. His eyes were hypnotizing, but I made sure to not fall for his crap. "You find yourself drawn to me. You think about me even when you don't want to think about me. I bet you even dream about me." Now that was creepy, because it was true. "And right now..." he leaned so close, that his lips were only about an inch away from mine. "You want to kiss me."

I'm usually not the type to hurt anyone, or start a fight. That's Elena's job. But, right then, I was really pissed off. With everything I had, including my frustration, anger, annoyance, and stress, I slapped him across the face, with my free hand. How can he say that to me? Especially since he's with Caroline? "I don't know what game you're trying to play with Stefan here," I said to him sternly, as he touched his cheek, "and I don't know what happened in the past. But let's get one thing straight... I am not Katherine."

His face was a mix of shock and surprise. I'll bet my slap barely even hurt him. I tried not to let the fear get to me, as I walked away with my pom poms. God, the Salvatores were so confusing. But right now, I had a game to cheer for...

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Matt and Stefan had finally made up. They agreed that despite them being rivals, the key thing here was to protect Ariana. The game was about to begin, but before Stefan could put his helmet on, he heard a slow, exaggerated clapping, coming from the school alley. He slowly turned around, and spotted Damon there, leaning against one of the concrete walls, swallowed in the darkness.

"Isn't that nice?" Damon smirked, and said sarcastically. "Stefan joins a team, makes a friend. It's all so, "rah, rah, go team, yeah!" Damon pretended to be enthusiastic.

"Not tonight," Stefan said, annoyed that his day with Ariana was only getting interrupted time, after time. "I'm done with you."

"Nice trick with Ariana." Damon said, knowing it would rile up his brother. "Let me guess... vervain in the necklace?" It wasn't even a question. "I admit, I was a bit surprised. It's been a while since anyone could resist my compulsion. Where'd you get it?"

"Does it matter?" Stefan asked. He was angry that Damon had even dared to try to compel Ariana. It was a good thing he had decided to give her the vervain necklace.

"Guess I could just seduce her the old-fashioned way." Damon smirked as Stefan narrowed his eyes. "Or I could just... eat her."

"No," Stefan said with certainty, "You're not gonna hurt her, Damon. Because deep down inside, there is a part of you that feels for her." Damon didn't say anything. "I was worried that you had no humanity left inside you, that you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be."

"Who's pretending?" Damon smirked.

"Then kill me."

"Well, I'm..." Damon said, "I'm tempted."

"No, you're not," Stefan explained. "You've had lifetimes to do it, and yet, here I am. I'm still alive. And there you are. You're still haunting me. After 145 years. Katherine is dead." Damon's eye twitched. "And you still hate me because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. That's why you won't hurt Ariana. And that, my brother, is your humanity."

Damon had stopped smirking while Stefan gave his "speech". Of course he wouldn't hurt Ariana. She was too pure, too kind. Her heart was filled with so much love, that sometimes she couldn't bear it. Would it really be so hard to let Katherine go?

"Salvatore!" Mr. Tanner's "coach" voice sounded from where he walking towards Stefan. "What the hell? We've got a game to play!"

"If that's my humanity... then what's this?" Damon smirked, then his face transformed. He vampire sped over to the coach, and sunk his fang into the flesh. Warm blood traveled into Damon, until the last drop was drawn. Then Tanner fell to the floor, dead.

"No!" Stefan shouted.

"Anywhere, anytime, any place." Damon smirked through the blood smeared on his mouth and his demonic features.

Then, a shrill scream of terror pervaded through the air of death. The brothers stopped glaring at each other, they'd know that scream anywhere: Ariana.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Where was Stefan? The game was about to start, and everyone was wondering where he and the coach were.

I was turning the corner of a dark alley, trying to find Stefan, when I heard a voice I knew only too well.

Damon's back was turned to me, but I could hear him very clearly: "Anywhere, anytime, any place." That's when I noticed Stefan there, looking very tense, but there was something else. Something on the floor. A body.

I screamed.

I was backing away when I saw Damon and Stefan turn their eyes on me. I screamed again. Damon's face was smeared in blood, and Mr. Tanner's body was on the ground. Had Damon killed him? Mr. Tanner... I mean, sure, sometimes he could be an ass, but he didn't deserve this. I felt fear rush through me. It all made sense now: Why Stefan was always afraid for me when Damon was around. How Stefan knew every single piece of history as if he was there. The large gash he got when Jeremy cut him, how it went away.

"Ariana..." Stefan whispered brokenly. He took a step towards me, but I just took one back. "Please, let me explain."

I looked towards Damon who was only staring at me in shock. "Why?" I whispered the question to him. "What are you?" I looked between the brothers, back and forth. I had an inkling of what they were. But they could only exist in books and movies... right? They were fiction, supernatural creatures. They couldn't be real. Yet two of them were right in front of me. One of which had just killed my History teacher.

"I'm sorry..." Damon whispered. Then, he disappeared. I'm serious. One second, he was standing there, looking guilty, and the next, he was gone. I was really freaked out.

Stefan looked surprised by Damon's reaction, but he said. "Ariana... I'll explain everything to you. Please, don't be afraid of me." His eyes pleaded with mine.

I was afraid of him. Very much so. But he's never done anything to harm me. Actually, he's made me feel more alive then ever before. So I'd give him the time to explain. I pushed down my fear, and said. "Then tell me."

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

In the boys locker room, Tyler and Matt were changing. It was silent, until Tyler broke it. "Tanner's M.I.A. I think he had a little bit too much beer."

"Don't talk to me right now, all right?" Matt said as he glared at his "best friend". "I'm pissed at you."

"What's your problem?" Tyler asked him.

"What's my..." Matt started, giving Tyler a "you seriously don't know" look. "You're my problem all right? You're a bully. A freakin' 12-year-old bully, man. And I'm sick of it... I mean, what was that about tonight? What's beating up the new guy going to prove? Or screwing with my sister or pummeling my girlfriend's kid brother."

Tyler raised his eyebrows. "Girlfriend. I don't know how to tell you this, but she dumped your ass."

Matt moved towards Tyler, his fist raised. "Are you going to hit me?" Tyler asked in disbelief. "I'm on your team."

"That was over the line." Matt's jaw clenched. "Even for you."

Matt left the locker room, feeling angry. Rage burned through him. He didn't want to admit that Ariana had broke it off with him. When he touched her face today, he was only a second away from kissing her. He missed her, bad. Matt walked through the alley, and saw a body on the ground: Mr. Tanner's dead body.

"Somebody help!" he shouted.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Stefan had explained everything to me. I was calm enough to have a conversation in the parking lot. Stefan told me about vampires. About the blood, sun, daylight rings. How he drank from animals, while all the other attacks - Vicki, the two couples, Mr. Tanner - were all by Damon. He told me about the vervain in my necklace, how it protected me from Damon's compulsion earlier. He explained the myths: mirrors, garlic, holy water, etc. About the super strength, speed, senses, agility.

He even told me about Katherine. She was Stefan and Damon's love, and a vampire. She turned them, back in 1864. Then she died, in a fire. He told me everything.

I spent the entire time silent. The processing of it all was constricting. Stefan, my boyfriend, was a vampire. His brother, kills people. Damon, who I thought was an okay guy, had turned out to be a serial killer, one who drank the blood of humans.

I had started out the week, wondering about witches and vampires, never actually believing that my best friend would turn out to be a witch, and my boyfriend, a vampire.

* * *

When I got home, I changed into a black tank top, and red shorts. Red... Blood... Nope. I changed my shorts. I wore a pair of dark green ones. I needed to sleep before my head exploded.

I heard a tapping on my window, it was Stefan. I hesitated at first, but then realized; ah, what the hell. He could bust down the door if he really wanted to... and so could Damon...

No. Jeremy. Elena. They were already asleep. Would Damon hurt them? I hoped not. If he did, it would be my fault. I'm the one who invited him in.

After opening the window, he swung his legs into my room and landed beside me. "I'm just checking," he started awkwardly, "Making sure that you're okay."

"Thank you," I said, and stared at the floor, not willing to meet his eyes. "Stefan... I need some time, that's all." I looked at his green eyes, and saw hurt and regret. "We haven't even known each other that long... and I just found out you are..." I couldn't even say the word.

"Hey..." he said softly, "I understand. Call me. Whenever you feel like you're in danger, or scared. I'll be here." I simply nodded. I had to look out for my family, they came first.

"Goodnight, Stefan." I said to him. I saw his hands reach out, as if to touch me. But he thought better of it.

"Goodnight...Ariana." His words were mixed in with the soft breeze as he swiftly disappeared, out my window. Perhaps, if given some time, I could learn to accept him for who he was. Though he was a vampire, he was still Stefan. A gentleman. The one who made me feel happy, and joyful. I just needed to make sure that my family was safe from his brother first. I wanted to protect them.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Damon entered Ariana window, and saw the beautiful girl sleeping quietly in her bed. She actually looked peaceful, like an angel. She was the light, in darkness. She made Damon feel as if he was human again.

But now Ariana knew about him. That Damon was a vampire. Even though he had come back to Mystic Falls for Katherine... he was starting to think that Katherine wasn't the reason. She was his first love, a beautiful girl. But she was also mean and secretive. Ariana, on the other hand, looked exactly like Katherine. But instead, Ariana was kind, sweet, compassionate, and caring.

The only thing in the way... was that Damon knew, she would never go for him. It would always be Stefan. And if Damon got into the middle of it, Ariana might get hurt.

Damon's hand reached down, and ever so gently caressed Ariana's face. Her skin was smooth, and it seemed almost pale under the moonlight streaming in from the window. Placing a quick kiss on her forehead, Damon left, making sure to close the window, before she awoke.

* * *

**Thank you for reading my story! Review please! Thanks!**

**-Spiralcloud**


	5. Family Ties

**FAMILY TIES**

_Ariana woke up in her room upon hearing a noise. Confused, she threw the covers off of her and walked out of her room._

_"Jeremy? Hello?" She asked as she descended the stairs. She walked barefoot across the hardwood floor an into the living room. She flicked the light switch on the wall, but the ceiling chandelier refused to turn on. Then, she heard someone talking, and she peered her head around the wall, to see that the television was on. Strange? The light was out, but the TV worked?_

_Logan Fell was reporting something on the news channel. "This is Logan Fell coming to you live from the streets of Mystic Falls with a breaking news of another deadly animal attack. The wild animal terrorizing the citizens of Mystic Falls has claimed another victim, local high school student; Ariana Gilbert." Ariana's face appeared on the TV screen, a smiling photo. Ariana looked at the screen, shocked. "Police are certain that forensic evidence will confirm that this is the same animal responsible for recent attacks."_

_"You know what's coming next," A voice from behind Ariana said. She slowly turned around. It was Damon. _

_Ariana ran away, towards the front door. But once she opened it, Damon was there again. She slammed it shut and backed away. Just when she was about to reach the stairs, suddenly, Damon grabbed her, and sunk his fangs into her neck, tasting the sweet blood. Ariana screamed._

"Ah!" Stefan woke up in his own bedroom with a fright. Sweat poured down his face, soaking his shirt. It was all just a dream. Ariana was alright, surely.

"Bad dream?" Damon was sitting by one of the tables in Stefan's room, smirking. He got up, and said, "Do you know how easy it was to get into your head right now? You really need some human blood. It might even the playing field." Stefan just continued to glare at him. "Football reference. Too soon."

Stefan took the letter opener from his bedside table, and flung it at Damon. Damon barely flinched as it penetrated his abdomen. He simply pulled it out, and started to play with the knife.

"All right," Damon admitted, "I deserved that. But I just wanted to let you know, they caught the culprit. The animal responsible for killing coach Tanner and all those people."

Stefan's angry gaze turned confused, "What are you talking about?"

"It was a mountain lion," Damon smirked, "Really big one." His arms opened up to show length. "It attacked a hunter this morning. It's all over the news 'Deadly beast captured. All's well in Mystic Falls'."

Stefan glared and asked, "Why would you cover your tracks?" He wasn't sure that he wanted to know the answer.

"I've decided to stay a while," Damon said. Stefan instantly tensed. "And I'm just having way too much fun here with you and Ariana."

"Can't touch her now. She knows about us." Even though that's what Stefan said, he knew that Damon could do whatever he wanted to do.

"Well," Damon smirked, "Something tells me she doesn't judge someone by what they are."

"You're right." Stefan said. "She doesn't. But if you start going around town and killing people. She _will _judge."

Damon's eye twitched, but other than that, his smirk didn't change. "Yeah, well, believe it or not, Stefan, some girls don't need my persuasion." Damon said, referring to the vervain. "Some girls just can't resist my good looks, my style and my charm, and my unflinching ability to listen to Taylor Swift."

Stefan stood up and walked towards Damon. "Ariana's not like that." He said.

Damon shrugged, "She's only human." Then, before Stefan could reply, Damon took the same now blood stained letter opener, and stabbed Stefan in the stomach. Stefan crouched over in pain. Because Stefan only drank animal blood, he was weaker than his brother, by a lot. Damon then gestured to his black shirt, "This is John Varvatos, dude. Dick move." He said, as if he actually cared.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

I came down the stairs of my house, dressed in jeans, black boots, and a purple cardigan. Damn. Yesterday was... I can't even begin to explain how messed up my life was becoming. I had already checked Elena and Jeremy's room, and was moving towards Jenna's when I heard her voice from the living room. "Scum ball. Scum bucket."

"Hey, Aunt Jenna," I smiled at her. She was okay. No sign of Damon. "Who are you talking to?"

"Him," she pointed to the TV. The news was on. He was talking about an "animal attack". My stomach dropped. This was no animal attack. Jenna continued, "Also known as Logan 'Scum' Fell. Did your mom ever tell you why I moved away from Mystic Falls?"

Wow. Jenna had moved away from the news guy. I mean, he wasn't that much older than me. He had dark hair and eyes, he had a cute look to him. "He's cute. So what happened?" I asked.

"Oh," she turned to me, "he is not cute. There's nothing cute about him. He's a cheating, lying, manipulator."

I laughed. Nope, Jenna's still the same fun loving aunt. Oh, if only our life was normal, everything just keeps getting more complicated.

Then, Elena came down the stairs, carrying a box. "Here," she said, as she dumped the box into my hands, "I got this from the safe deposit box yesterday. Mom had told Mrs. Lockwood she would loan it to the founder's council for their heritage display."

"And you're giving it to me, because...?" I asked her.

"What?" She shrugged. "I'm not going to the Tyler's house. Everyone's pissed at me. Besides, you're the one with the car."

I sighed, and succumbed, "Fine. I still think you should apologize to Bonnie and Caroline."

"Nah,"

I sighed again. Then I spotted something. "Look, Aunt Jenna, it's great-great-grandma Mary's wedding ring." I held up a beautiful vintage white gold diamond ring.

"It's beautiful," Jenna commented. Finally, my brother came into the living room.

"How much do you think that stuff is worth?" Jeremy asked me, "You know, like on eBay."

"We're not going to sell it." I said to him sternly. It was all we had left of our parents. "We're loaning it to the Lockwoods for safe keeping."

"Tyler?" Jeremy questioned, "Why the hell would you do that?"

"It's for history, not Tyler." I told him.

That's when I remembered the Founder's party. Shoot. Should I ask Stefan? Would it be too inappropriate? It was strange. I wasn't scared of Stefan, not one bit. I trusted him. He was nice and mature. As long as he still wanted me, I'd always want him. No matter if he was human, a vampire, or whatever other creature, I'd still want to be with Stefan.

I was placing the wooden box down on the counter by the kitchen, when the doorbell rang. Who could that be? I thought.

"Got it." I called out to my family. I opened the door, to see Stefan standing there, changing the weight from foot to foot every now and then. "Hi," I said.

"Hey," he still looked uncomfortable, so I opened the door wider. "You're welcome to come in."

He looked surprised. "You're okay with it?" He asked.

"I'm okay with it." I smiled, just to help ease his mind. He smiled at me too, and said,

"Alright,"

After he came in, I decided to bring him to my room. I needed to talk to him about... things. "Follow me." I told him.

I knew he was questioning what I was going to go the whole way up the stairs. Once we entered my bedroom, I turned towards him, and said, "We need to talk."

It must have sounded terrible. "we need to talk" is not exactly something you want to hear from anyone. "Go ahead." He said. I couldn't read his emotions. His face was completely guarded, as if he expected the worst.

"Stefan," I started, "I don't care that you're a vampire." His eyes lit up, and he smiled probably the biggest smile I've ever seen from him. I continued, "I think that you're amazing. I've never met anyone like you. You're gentle and kind, even though you're a ...well... you know. And... I want to be with you, if you're willing to be with me."

He just stared at me for a few seconds, not saying anything.

Then, I started to feel awkward. I said, "I mean, if you don't want to-"

I got cut off, as I felt his lips on mine. I missed it. His touch, scent, just his every being. He pulled away for a second, and asked, "You mean it?"

"Yes," I answered. Then he smiled again, his eyes dancing. I giggled as he vampire sped us onto the bed and attacked my lips again. I felt the soft bed under me, as he hovered above, pressing his body onto mine. Passion flooded me, and I moaned as he deepened the kiss. His fangs, or whatever, were the last thing on my mind. Actually, I could barely even think, my mind was getting consumed by Stefan's kisses.

Suddenly, I couldn't feel Stefan anymore. He had pulled away. When I opened my eyes, I could see that he was sitting up, and looking away from me. "Stefan," I asked, panting, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied quickly, "It will go away in a sec."

I realized what he was talking about: his bloodlust. I sat up, and touched his face from behind. "Ariana..." he trailed off.

"You don't have to hide from me," I said. I wasn't scared.

At first, he resisted. But he eventually let me turn his head around so that I could see his face. His pupil and irises were pitch black, and the whites of his eyes were completely red. Blue-purple veins were protruding on the skin below his eyes. I could see white fangs from where his lips were slightly parted. He looked like a demon, an actual vampire. But his expression was not one of a monster. He was showing great restraint to not accidentally hurt me. I gave him a kiss, feeling his sharp fangs brush against my lips for an instant. When I pulled back, his face was back to normal.

"See," I said, "You're in control."

"It's hard to restrain myself when I'm around you," He admitted sheepishly.

"I trust you," I said, and he smiled. "So," I changed the subject, "Would you mind taking me to the Founder's party tomorrow night?"

"Wow, they still have those?" He said, and I nodded, "I would be honored to accompany you, Miss Gilbert."

I giggled and said, "The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Salvatore."

Maybe things wouldn't turn out as bad as I thought they would... But of course, that never seemed to be the case...

* * *

The next day, the doorbell rang again. Jeremy got up to answer it.

I heard the guy outside say, "I'm here for my mom. I was supposed to pick up a box of stuff."

It was Tyler. I picked up the box from the counter, and walked towards the open door. "Here it is," I told him as I placed the box into his open arms. "Please, be careful."

"Yeah," Jeremy said rudely, "Be careful with it, dick."

"Jeremy!" I scolded him. He just glared once at Tyler, then went deeper into our house. I turned back to Tyler. "Tell your mom I'll see her tonight."

"I will. Thanks, Gilbert." He smiled.

"Bye," I did a little wave, then I closed the door.

* * *

There was about one hour until the party was supposed to start. Elena had decided not to go for she had no one to go with. I'd pair her up with Bonnie, but they still weren't talking to each other. Bonnie was in my room with me. She was trying on her different perfumes that she had brought with her.

"Delicate flower," she said to me, "vs. Naughty Vixen."

"Ooh," I smiled, "What are you going for?"

"I'm not sure yet," she answered. I was wearing a strapless burgundy dress, which ended halfway up my thigh, showing off my long legs. There were a few strewn-in silver beads on the middle of the dress's bust. I wore matching silver earrings, a bracelet, my vervain necklace, and a ring. On my feet were strap three-inch black heels.

I went to the mirror in my room, and was trying to figure out what I should do with my hair. "Look at you," Bonnie smiled my way, "getting all pretty for your date. You seem happy-ish."

"I am...ish." I answered. Stefan was making me happy. The only thing that I was "kinda" bummed about, was the fact that his vampire brother was going around town murdering people. Add that to my struggling brother and sister, and it can make your life even more screwed up. "Hey, Bonnie," I called out, "What do you suggest I do with my hair."

"Nothing, it's perfect."

I rolled my eyes. "I want to do something a little different, any suggestions?"

"Here," she said. She dug around her purse for a few seconds before she pulled out something silver. "Come here."

I smiled and walked over to her. She reached up, and clipped the silver thing into my hair. "There, take a look," she said.

Walking back towards my mirror, I saw that she had used a little silver butterfly clip to push back some of my hair away from my face, and show off my dangling earring. "Thanks, Bonnie. I'll give it back to you later."

"Oh," Bonnie shook her head and hand, "It's fine, keep it. I've got loads of hair clips."

"Thanks, Bon, love ya."

"Love ya more," she said, and we both laughed. Gosh, did I ever say how much I loved Bonnie. She was such a good person, and a great friend.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

"I think it's better if we don't draw attention to ourselves." Stefan said. The brothers were in the boarding house's parlor, and Stefan was trying to convince Damon not to go to the Founder's Party. He didn't want his brother anywhere near Ariana.

"So you should stay here," Damon said as he smirked, "I'll see to it Ariana has a good time."

Stefan sighed and started towards one of the alcohol bottles, pouring himself a drink.

"My goodness," Damon mocked, "I've driven you to drink."

"Can't seem to rid myself of you." Was Stefan's comeback, "What else am I supposed to do, besides go about living my life?"

"Go about living my life." Damon laughed, "See, therein lies your eternal struggle. You're dead, dude. Get over it." Then he wrapped the tie, and secured it around his neck. "What do you think?" He asked Stefan.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Bonnie was putting on her makeup, when my phone rang. Picking it up from my nightstand, I pressed the green button, and was surprised when I heard Tyler's mom on the phone.

"Hi, Mrs Lockwood." I said. Bonnie gave me a look of confusion.

"Hi, Ariana," She answered. "I just wanted to call because there doesn't seem to be a pocket watch in the box you gave to Tyler. I'm worried that I may have lost it."

What? But I saw it. "Oh, really? 'Cause I saw it. Let me check."

She said. "Alright, just make sure to bring it."

"I will." I said.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Bye." I said.

"Bye." She hung up. After placing my phone back on the nightstand, Bonnie asked, "What's wrong."

I think I had a pretty good idea to who had the pocket watch."Jeremy." I said to Bonnie. I then entered Jeremy's room to see him listening to music. He was sitting in his chair, looking at his computer screen, when I over to him, and nudged him.

"What now?" Jeremy groaned, slipping his headphones off.

"Do you have the pocket watch?" I asked him.

"What are you talking about. What watch?" He pretended to play dumb.

"You know." I said, "The one from mom's box. Mrs. Lockwood just called me. She can't find it, and she thinks she may have lost it."

"Maybe she did," Jeremy said. "Maybe Tyler took it."

I sighed. Why did boys always have some sort of stupid rivalry? "Why do you want it so bad?" I asked him.

"Because it's supposed to be mine." He said gruffly, then got up and picked something out from behind his computer. It was the watch. He handed it to me. It was cool to the touch, and a bronze color. "Dad said it goes to the firstborn son. His father gave it to him, and now what?"

Jeremy looked so sad. What he was saying was the truth. It was supposed to be his, so I said, "Fine." I gave it back to him, and he looked at me in surprise. Shit, I was going to have to make an excuse to tell Mrs Lockwood. Damn it. "You can have it okay?" Then I winked, "Just... don't tell anybody."

Then with a huge smile, Jeremy pounced into me, crushing me in a bear hug. I was so elated to see him like this. It had been a long time since he's acted this happy towards me. "Thanks, sis."

"Okay..." I could hardly breathe, let alone say anything, "I think you're... crushing me."

"Whoops," He said as he let me go, but he was still smiling. That's when he finally seemed to notice what I was wearing, and he raised his eyebrows, "Are you becoming a prostitute or something?"

I gave him a playful push and said, "Shut up Jeremy, mind your own business. I'm going to the Founder's Party."

"Whatever, just don't let too many guys touch you," he said, and my jaw dropped open, "Or I'm gonna have to beat them up."

"Well," I said, tying to change the super awkward subject, "If I don't go now, I'm gonna be late. So I'll see you later."

"Bye, sis,"

"Bye," I closed his bedroom door.

I was feeling good. At least my brother was on speaking terms with me.

* * *

Bonnie and Jenna left before me, because I told the m that Stefan would be picking me up. As far as they'd known, Stefan and I were never apart. Nobody really knew about vampires except for me. Well, at least, that's what I thought.

When I went to answer the door, I saw Stefan on the other side, but he looked distracted. "Hey, Stefan." I greeted.

His eyes widened once he saw what I was wearing. "You look beautiful." He said, awed, "As always."

I smiled, "Thank you." I took in his suit and tie, then said, "You look dashing, as always."

He smiled, and held out his hand, and I took it, feeling the warmth.

* * *

When Stefan and I reached the Lockwood Mansion, I could see that he was still tense. "You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said, a bit too quickly, "I'm fine."

I asked hesitantly, "Is it about your brother?" I knew how bad Damon could be, I hoped he hadn't hurt someone else.

He looked at me surprised, but said, "Don't worry about it." He caressed one of my hands in both of his, and placed a kiss on my hand. I smiled.

"Okay, when you're ready to tell me, you can." I said to him. I just hope that it wasn't anything bad. But what's "bad" was very vague.

He smiled, "Thank you."

We then walked, hand in hand, to the main entrance of the mansion. But before we entered the house, Stefan stopped. I looked at him questionably, then I remembered. Vampires couldn't get into a privately owned property without first being invited in.\

Good thing Tyler's dad showed up just then. "Hi," I said to him, "Mayor Lockwood."

"Hey." He said, "Hey, guys, come on in."

Stefan and I stepped through the threshold. Victory. "Thank you." Stefan said to the mayor. He nodded back.

When we walked a bit further into the mansion, Stefan gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek. I smiled.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Damon was jealous of Stefan being with Ariana. He watched Stefan kiss her with narrowed eyes.

He had come with Caroline, but she was only his distraction, a puppet. Damon actually found the blonde quite annoying, but it was an excuse to be around Ariana more, even if she was afraid of him.

How could she forgive Stefan so easily? Damon thought. Yeah, Ariana really wasn't one to judge other people by what they were or where they came from. It was all about the way people acted, or what their intentions were. Damon sighed. No wonder Ariana was back with Stefan, at least the younger brother wasn't killing anyone... yet.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Stefan and I entered the "History" section of the Lockwood Mansion. There were all sorts of information, pictures, and artifacts. They ranged from info about balls, to pictures of famous founders, to girls' hair pins.

I was looking at one section in particular: wedding rings. My parents' wedding rings were right below the clear glass, sparkling like stars.

"Your parents?" Stefan asked from behind me.

"Yeah," I answered, "There's a lot of history here." Then turned around, and looked into Stefan's eyes. I smirked and said, "I wonder if you're here in this history section."

Stefan raised his arm, and said, "Follow me," I giggled and weaved my own arm through his. We stopped after walking a few meters, and he turned me towards a piece of old, worn, paper hanging on the wall.

I read it: "'The founding families in Mystic Falls welcomes you to the inaugural founder's council celebration'." I scanned through the names. There were the 'Forbes', the 'Lockwood's, and-

"Oh look," I pointed to two familiar names, and smiled at Stefan. "Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Aren't you a bit too old for me?" I teased him.

"Much," he smiled back. He placed his hands on my hips. He was about to kiss me, when a voice rang out.

"Are we interrupting?" My blood ran cold, and Stefan's grip on me tightened. I looked over his shoulder to see Damon and Caroline walking towards us. Stefan turned around, so that he was facing his brother, and I was half-obsecured from the two. Though Damon was smirking, his eyes were narrowed at Stefan. Caroline just stood there, radiant and giddy.

No. What was Damon doing here... with Caroline?! He better have not been hurting her, or else... or else... I don't know. What could I do? I was scared. And it wasn't just for myself, it was for my best friend. Either Damon was compelling her, or Caroline was really just oblivious. But I found that hard to believe. Even Caroline was smart enough not to let a guy boss her around, no matter how hot he was. Because Caroline was not like that, she was independent, and she didn't usually act like this. No. He was definitely compelling her.

Oh, Caroline, what have you gotten yourself into. At least I had chosen the right brother. Now, I had to deal with my best friend getting it up with a serial killer. Awesome.

Damon just smirked at me, as if he could read my thoughts. I continued to stare at him.

Caroline was the first to approach us. She looked to Stefan and said, "I'm bored. I want to dance, and Damon won't dance with me." Wow. She was going to steal my date, and leave me with the psychotic brother. Yeah, thanks. Though, deep down, I knew this was Damon's doing.

Fine, whatever, screw it.

Stefan was about to turn her down, but I spoke up first. "Yeah. Stefan if you want to dance with her, you can."

Stefan gave me a look that implied that he didn't want to dance with her. Well, technically, his look implied that he didn't want to leave me alone with Damon.

"It's fine." I told him. I couldn't be afraid of Damon forever. Since, well, he was immortal. "I'll be okay."

I could tell that Stefan really didn't want to leave me, so I gave him a look that said "trust me". I nodded slightly, and with a wary look at Damon, left to the dance floor with Caroline.

I tried not to let my fear show as I met Damon's eyes with my own. He smirked, and said, "Nice dress."

"Thank you." I replied, stiffly.

"I want to apologize to you for being a world-class jerk the other night when I tried to kiss you. There's no excuse." He said.

At first, I was surprised. He actually apologized. But, it didn't exactly seem very sincere with the way he was smirking, like he was plotting something dangerous.

And I had totally forgotten bout the almost-kiss. Good thing I was wearing my vervain necklace, or else... I don't even wanna know what would happen. Would he have bitten me?

I took a deep breath, and said, "I accept your apology," He looked at me, surprised too. "But that doesn't excuse you for all the things you've done. And Caroline, she's my best friend, so please," I took a step closer to him, "Please don't hurt her."

His face was blank, before he said, "What's the point. What does being good ever prove."

"It proves that you're a good person." I said. I had to believe that Damon could be better. I had to.

"But I'm not." Damon said, "I'm not Stefan. I do what I want. Feed when and on whoever I want. I have no humanity."

"Yes, you do." I argued, "Everybody has good in them. I've heard you talk, you care about things even when you pretend that you don't. Even though you did kill Mr. Tanner... you said 'sorry' afterwards. A monster wouldn't do that."

He didn't say anything. His smile was gone. He was looking at me as if he was trying to figure me out.

I continued. "Is there a reason you're back in Mystic Falls? Are you looking for someone?" He jerked his head up, when I said that. Then it must be it. He was trying to find someone. "I'm sure it's not necessary to kill people in order to do it."

"Ariana..." he finally spoke, "I am looking for someone." His eyes hardened. "But I'm a vampire. And humans are our prey. If you're not careful, you could be next."

I knew he was lying. Something told me that he wouldn't hurt me. "If you wanted me dead, I'd be dead." I said to him.

He smirked, and said, changing the subject. "Let's go see what Stefan and Caroline are doing."

I sighed, and said, "Just remember Damon. It's never too late to choose to be good."

* * *

Damon and I approached Stefan and Caroline from where they were, by a side table. "What'd we miss?" Damon smirked at Stefan.

"We were just chatting. Drink, Damon?" Stefan offered a glass of champagne to Damon.

"No thanks, I'll pass." Damon declined. They were staring at each other again, as if they wanted to rip each other's heads off. Shaking my head, I broke the testosterone.

"Stefan, would you like to dance?" I asked him.

"Absolutely," he said. He took my hands, smiling, as we walked towards the dance floor. I placed my hands on his shoulders, and his were on my waist. We swayed side to side, staring at each other silently. We didn't need words to communicate. I decided that I'd worry about Damon later. I truly believed that Damon was not bad, he just needed to find something to be good for.

I already knew Caroline was not the one for him. It was obvious he was just using her... poor Caroline. But perhaps, someone else could bring him out of his life of darkness...

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Caroline and Damon were standing next to each other, watching Stefan and Ariana dance. One was glaring, the other was smiling pleasantly. Guess who was doing which. It's pretty obvious.

"They look so cute together." Caroline commented.

"Don't talk," Damon said, "Please."

Damon was silently fuming. Ariana had gotten under his skin, but not in a bad way. She had opened up his humanity, if only for a second. And Damon had liked it. But he also hated himself for feeling that way, and it wasn't even towards Katherine.

Oh, no. Damon Salvatore was starting to fall for someone, and it wasn't his "true love" whom he thought he had truly been in love with.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

We were still dancing, when Stefan whispered, "He didn't do anything, did he?"

"No," I said, "He was on good behavior. You know, I think if you'd give him a chance, he'd be willing to become good."

Stefan just shook his head, "I have given him chances, multiple ones. But he never changes."

"Did he tell you why he came back to Mystic Falls in the first place?" I asked Stefan.

He scrunched his eyebrows together, "No, did he tell you?" He asked in disbelief.

"Well," I replied, "He didn't tell me _exactly_ who, but I think that he's looking for someone. Would you have any idea who it could be?"

"No clue," Stefan responded. I sighed. I caught Damon's gaze from across the room. He was staring at me, expressionless. I tentatively smiled back, silently telling him that I truly thought that he could change, and become a better person.

Once the dance was over, I said to Stefan, "I'll be right back, I just need to find Mrs. Lockwood. It's to explain to her about my family history."

"Okay," Stefan said, "I'll see you later." He gave me a kiss.

"Bye," I turned around, and walked away. I couldn't help feeling that both Damon and Stefan were plotting something, even though they were both had different objectives.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Damon and Stefan watched the beautiful young girl walk away. They stared at each other blankly, then looked away.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

I finally found Mrs. Lockwood, she was in the huge dining room. "Ariana, honey, there you are," She smiled once she saw me, and started to walk towards me. "I notice that the watch still isn't in the collection."

I usually didn't lie, but, in this case, I had to. I put on my best fake innocent voice, and said, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Lockwood, I couldn't find it. I guess it's still packed up in my parents' stuff somewhere."

"I see." I don't think she bought it. "Well, please let me know if you do find it."

"Okay." I smiled.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Damon went up the stairs, and found a crystal. It was a bronze colored necklace owned by Katherine, with a huge diamond-shaped topaz crystal in the middle.

This necklace was the only way Damon could get Katherine back. He was certain she still loved him, and if that was the case, then he didn't have to worry about his feelings for Ariana.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

After the confrontation with Tyler's mom, I headed to the powder room. I needed a place to just relax and let loose of my stress. And anyways, it was probably the nicest and grandest bathroom I'd ever seen.

In there, I found Caroline putting some lipstick on. So much for peace and serenity. "Hey," I said to her.

"Hey, Ariana." She said back. I hoped she was okay. The whole thing with Damon would eventually crush her.

Then, I noticed something on her neck. I couldn't see well through the fishnet sweater, but it was obvious that there was something on her neck. It was peeking out under her scarf. Bite marks. "Um," I said, distractedly, "I need to g-go find someone."

"Are you okay?" She asked me, staring at my reflection in the mirror with a confused look.

"Yep," I lied, "I'm perfectly fine." I quickly walked out of the powder room.

Damon was hurting her. No, worse, he was feeding on her. He must've been using compulsion to make her not say anything. Oh, god, what do I do?

I spotted Damon once I got outside. He was walking in my direction, so I stepped in front of him, successfully stopping him. "You are hurting her." I accused him.

"Who?"

"Caroline. I saw the bite marks, Damon," I said as realization covered his features. Then, his jaw tightened, and he said:

"Where's Caroline?"

"No," I told him sternly, "You can't keep using her this way. It's wrong." I reached over, and grasped his arm. "Please, Damon. She's my best friend."

He met my gaze steadily, then looked away and said, "Sorry, Ariana." Pulling away, he walked past me. I felt tears flood my eyes. He couldn't keep hurting people. I had to stop him, but how?

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Damon hadn't wanted to upset Ariana, but it was necessary for what he wanted to do. He couldn't be with Ariana, because he knew that she was too good for him. He didn't deserve her. But Katherine, she would be willing to be with him, at least, that's what he thought.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

"Stefan," I called out to my boyfriend who was gazing at the lake, "It's Damon. He's been feeding off Caroline."

He tilted his head down shamefully.

"You knew?" I asked him. He didn't tell me? I was Caroline's best friend, and Stefan didn't tell me that Damon was drinking from her?

"I couldn't tell you," Stefan tried to persuade me, "You were having a good time. I couldn't just drop something like this on you."

I respected that he was trying to make me happy, but when it came down to the people I cared about, there were no exceptions. "What are we going to do?" I asked him, on the brink of tears, "He can't keep using her like this, it's wrong. And the hard part about it is that... I don't want to hurt Damon also."

"I know," Stefan said softly. He gently touched my arm, "You're very caring, and that's why I love you," I looked up to him, and smiled. Did he just say that he loved me?! "But, I think, in this case, Damon needs to be put down, just for a while."

I didn't want to agree with it, but I had no choice. It was either to somehow get Damon to stay away, or have more people die. "Okay," I agreed, dispassionately, "What do we do?"

"I'm on it."

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Damon was pissed that Caroline had allowed Ariana to see the bite marks on her. He started dragging Caroline towards the middle of the patch of grass by the lake. She suddenly, pulled away and said, "Look, it's not my fault. Ariana accidentally saw it while I was fixing my make up. I didn't mean to let her them. I didn't even know that she had saw them until I realized that my scarf was messed up."

Damon went behind Caroline, and wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes.

"You make me crazy, you know that?" Damon was playing around with her, "It's okay. I forgive you."

"I swear I didn't say-" Caroline said, but Damon cut her off.

"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay." Then his tone changed, "Unfortunately... I am so over you now." Then, he bit her. Caroline gasped and fell, but then, Damon fell to the ground as well. There was vervain in Caroline's blood. "What the hell?" Damon coughed, weak.

"You know, I couldn't spike your drink... So I spiked hers." Stefan's voice came over to them, and Damon glared at his brother.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

I was looking everywhere for Caroline. Where was she? Please, tell me Damon didn't do anything to her. I walked back outside, and saw a figure in the darkness. She was tall, blonde and-

"Caroline!" I called out to her. "Are you okay?" I stopped right in front of her. She looked so scared. "Did something happen?"

"I'm fine," she repeated shakily. Actually, her entire body was shaking. That's when I saw the blood that was soaking into her white cardigan, painting it red. Damon must had bit her again.

Then, Caroline started to cry. "Caroline, come here," I hugged her as she cried on my shoulder. She must have been delusional; not knowing where she was. She started to hyperventilate, so I rubbed her back, trying to sooth her.

I found Caroline, so now the question was: Where the hell was Damon?

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Stefan and Zach looked through the cellar window at Damon in pity. Damon would stay in there, until Stefan knew for sure that Ariana would be protected. But there was something strange about Damon when it came to Ariana. Damon was more human around her, more caring. Stefan thought that it was just because of her resemblance to Katherine. But was that really the case?

"I did what I had to do," Stefan said to Damon, "To protect Ariana, to protect everyone. Yes, Damon, the heading reads 'Deadly beast captured. All is well in Mystic Falls'."

Damon groaned. Damn it. He thought. How was he supposed to get Katherine out of the tomb now? Would he ever see Ariana again?

He was hoping that he'd know the answers soon. Or he was screwed.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**-Spiralcloud**


	6. You're Undead To Me

**YOU'RE UNDEAD TO ME**

**Ariana POV:**

It had been four days since I last saw Stefan. But I think that's because he was dealing with Damon, since I hadn't seen him again either. I hoped that they were both okay, I'd wanted Damon to be put down or locked up, but not dead.

There was school today though, so I dressed in jean short-shorts, a white frilly spaghetti strap top, and black high-heels. I wore my vervain necklace, a charm bracelet, and the hair clip that Bonnie had given to me.

As I entered the bathroom, I was surprised to see Vicki in there. What was she doing at our house? And then I realized it. She and Jeremy had like a thing, right? That's probably why my brother and Tyler were always fighting.

"I-I'm sorry," Vicki stuttered around a bunch of toothpaste. The only thing she was wearing was one of Jeremy's shirts, and her hair was a mess. "I'm almost done." She was in the middle of brushing her teeth.

"It's okay," I smiled at her, "Take your time." I left the bathroom and went downstairs.

I saw Jenna sitting by the granite kitchen counter, drinking some coffee. "Hey, Jenna. Looks like Jeremy's having fun." I joked.

"It does, doesn't it." She smiled. I guess she was okay with it. I don't really have anything against Vicki, other than her being a drug-user, that is. "Oh, and just so you know," she said, "I won't be home for dinner."

"Oh," I teased. She was talking all about it last night. "So you're actually going to do it. You're gonna go out with Logan."

"I'm going to show up and torture him, yes." she said, and I laughed.

Then, Elena came in. She grabbed a chewy bar from the cupboards, and turned towards me, "Have you heard from Stefan?"

"Good morning to you too, Elena." I said sarcastically. She just rolled her eyes. "And, no. Not since he left that really lame message." The message was basically him saying that he was "taking care" of Damon. But, seriously, if Stefan had killed him, I think I'd probably be annoyed. I continued, "But, whatever, you know. I trust him. So if he wants space, that's what I'm giving him."

"Shouldn't you call him?" Elena asked. It's not like this was her business anyways, so why was she asking all these questions?

"Nope. I just said, that I'm giving him space," I explained to her. "I'm okay with it. He doesn't have to keep me updated on his life every second, you know."

Elena shrugged, "Whatever," she said, then left for school.

Then, Jenna spoke up, "And that is why she can never find herself any boyfriends."

"_Jenna,_" I rolled my eyes at her. Jenna was my and Elena's aunt, she was supposed to look out for us, not make fun of us. But I still loved her.

"What?" She asked innocently. Shaking my head, I said:

"Bye, I'm going to school." I picked up my bag, and after her telling me to have fun (as if I could have fun at a school), I walked to school.

Bonnie was taking Caroline to school today, so I couldn't depend on her to pick me up. And, I wasn't going to go get my car, it was a waste of gasoline. I actually preferred walking, over taking the car. I shuddered, thinking about that night. My feet pounded against the concrete in time, reminding me of a recent tune.

When I was about half-way to school, my phone rang. It was Stefan.

"Hello, Stefan." I said, smiling. Finally, he was calling me.

"Hey," His voice came on, "Sorry I couldn't call because, well, you know. I had to make sure that he was securely in." I didn't have to ask to know that he was talking about Damon.

"No," I said, "It's okay, I understand." Then I lowered my voice. "What did you do?"

"Remember when Caroline was bit?" he asked. I nodded, but then remembered that he couldn't see me, so I said:

"Yeah,"

"Well, I spiked Caroline's drink with vervain, and it traveled into her blood..."

"Got it," I said, not really wanting to hear more. "But, I mean, where did you put him?"

"I locked him up in the cellar down in the basement of the boarding house." He said.

"Is it safe?"

"Yeah," he answered, "It's secure enough for a weak vampire."

"Poor Damon. I actually feel sorry for him." Even though he's done so many bad things, I didn't think that anyone deserved to be locked up against there will, not even Damon.

"Yeah," Stefan said, "It's either lock him up for fifty years, or have him kill more people."

"Yeah," I agreed sadly, "Well, it's good to hear from you... I'll see you at school?"

"See you," he replied.

"Bye,"

"Bye."

He hung up. I walked the rest of the way to school feeling glad. Damon was locked up, where he couldn't hurt anyone close to me ever again, and I was looking forward to seeing my boyfriend. But, I sighed, there was still the matter of ... Caroline.

* * *

When I got to school, it was as if Caroline was back to her normal, chatty self. "The sexy studs car wash is tomorrow," she said to me, Bonnie, and a few other people, "The football team and the and have committed. Well, not all the band. Just the ones who could pull off the bikini. i want, in your face, sexy. I mean, it's a fund raiser, for god's sake."

"Wow," I whispered to Bonnie, "It's as if nothing's happened." Of course, Bonnie had no idea about the "vampire" thing, but she did know that something was up with Damon.

"She's in denial." Bonnie said back. Then, Stefan walked up to us, and I smiled. I hadn't seen him in what seemed like ages.

"Hey," I said, giving him a hug.

"I gotta go," Bonnie said, giving us some private time, "Be somewhere right now." She gave Stefan and I a smile, then walked away.

I turned back to Stefan, and looked into his leaf-green eyes. He was looking slightly guilty when he said, "So, to make it up to you, how about we hang out together at The Grill, around four o'clock."

I smiled and replied, "I'd love to."

He was moving in to kiss me, when Caroline's voice came from behind me, "Stefan, where is Damon? He has some serious apologizing to do."

I sighed. Caroline wasn't going to get a truthful answer from him.

"He left town, Caroline, and he's not coming back, " Stefan said, "I'm sorry," He didn't sound sorry at all.

"It's a good thing, Caroline," I was trying to convince her and myself. With Damon gone, Caroline would become her bubbly and giddy self, once again.

"I know that," Caroline said sadly, as she pouted. I stepped closer to her, and gave her a hug. I nodded and smiled over her shoulder to Stefan, reassuringly.

* * *

I checked my phone. Where was Stefan? It was 4:30 already. Did something with Damon happen? I pondered whether or not if I should've called him, but thought better of it. I looked around the Grill, and spotted Matt. I walked up to him and asked, "Hey, Matt, have you seen Stefan?"

He shook his head, "Nope. If you want to kill some time, um, you can rack." He smiled and gestured towards the pool table. "Come on. We haven't played in forever. I'll let you break."

Upon hearing that, I said, "Deal."

* * *

About twenty minutes into our pool game, Matt turned to me.

He asked, "What do you think about Stefan? Is he a good guy? Does he treat you well?"

I wasn't exactly expecting Matt to ask those questions so straightforwardly. I could sense jealousy in his tone.

"Yeah." I smiled at Matt, "He's a great guy. Real nice too." He's also a vampire, but I left that part out, of course.

"Then why is he so late?" he asked. I wasn't exactly comfortable with this conversation.

Hey, I was wondering the same thing. Damon didn't get out, did he? I was starting to get worried. "I don't know," I replied honestly. "Let me find out."

I was about to call Stefan, when I saw him enter through the doors of the Mystic Grill. God, he was so late. He came up to me, guiltily, and said, "I'm so sorry Ariana, it was..." he trailed off when he saw Matt behind me.

"Uh," Matt said, a little awkwardly, and a little irascibly, "You two have fun." Then he left us alone.

"...it was Damon." Stefan finished, his voice a bit softer.

"What happened. Is everything okay?" I asked him, worried.

"Yeah," he said, "Everything's fine now. It's just that Zach got a bit too close, but he's okay."

"Oh," I said, "Good. But you were still an hour late," I scolded him, playfully. I looked up to him from under my lashes. "So, how're you going to make up for it."

"Oh, I'll tell you what I'm going to do." Stefan grinned wickedly, as he grabbed my by the hips and pulled me towards him. I giggled and his mouth met mine.

"Stefan," I pulled away slightly and laughed, "We're in public."

"I don't care. But fine," he said, "How about we go to your house, talk, and I'll make dinner."

"You cook?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I've been around a long time," he answered, "And we can make your favorite: chicken parmesan."

"How did you know?" I asked him.

He shrugged, "I may have asked Caroline while we were dancing the other day."

Of course Caroline would tell him. She'll practically answer any question thrown to her. "Okay, cool," I said. "Did you come here by foot?" He nodded. "Then we'll take my car."

* * *

Once we got to my house, Stefan immediately went to my kitchen. I laughed as he started pulling out a bunch of ingredients from the cupboards. I didn't even know half of them.

Then Stefan asked me, "Where is Jenna?"

"Oh," I responded, "She's out with Logan, you know, the news guy. And don't worry about my brother and sister. Jeremy's with Vicki, as you can probably hear," I smirked, and he looked sheepish, "while Elena... she's doing her own thing."

I had no idea what Elena did in her room everyday. I didn't get why she couldn't just make up with Bonnie or Caroline and just hang out with them. Maybe if she learned not to be rude... God, now I was sounding like a bitch.

"Well," Stefan smiled, "We have the ground floor to ourselves tonight." Then he hesitated, and said, "I'd like to tell you about Katherine, if you don't mind. Just so you know everything."

I wasn't exactly ecstatic to hear about his dead vampire lover, but, he was right, I wanted to know everything. "I don't mind," I said.

He took out a vegetable - god knows what it was - a board, the big knife, and started chopping it into thin strips. "She was... " he started, "the most beautiful girl that I had ever met. She had this perfect ivory skin. And this laugh. It was ridiculous. I mean, her laugh made you laugh. And she was fun. She knew how to have a good time. But Katherine was also very impatient and entitled and selfish, and, um, impulsive. Enter Damon." I smiled softly, as he said that. "He claims that he was with her first. I don't know. I do know that I did some things that... I'm not proud of. And my biggest regret... Is not being able to make it right before she died. I miss her, but... I'm no longer crippled by her loss." He looked to me. "I have someone else now."

I moved over to him and touched his shoulder, making sure not to bother him with the cutting of the vegetables. "Thank you," I said, "For telling me." He smiled, and I did too. "I you want to... you can tell me what it is you did that you regretted."

Stefan said, "In 1864, they were rounding up the vampires. The day before, I had told my dad about Katherine, and... they took her. Burned her up in Fell's Church along with the rest of them."

"I'm sorry."

He smirked at me, "Don't be. As you know, it was a long time ago. And... I've met you. Who I care about more than I ever did with her."

That was so sweet. I loved how honest and open he was being with me. I said, "Tell me about yourself."

"I'm an avid reader," he said. I was too. I stood there, just listening to him in awe. "a huge Fitzgerald fan, 'The Great Gatsby', his masterpiece. I also love some good Grisham. I think Seinfeld is the best American television show for the past fifty years, but I love Lucy is all-time. 'The loving cup' episode was the best, I think. Huge Scorsese fan. I can watch Taxi Driver over and over again."

I laughed, and held out my hands, "Here, let me." I took the knife out of his hands, and stated to chop the garlic. I smiled. Garlic plus Vampire. Stefan continued:

"As far as music, it's pretty much across the board. Um, Dylan, Hendrix, Patsy, Willie, a little Kanye. You know what? I even like that one Miley song."

I smirked. "Which one?"

"Party in the U.S.A." I laughed.

"That song is fun and cute," I agreed. Then as I looked up to him, smiling, I felt a sharp pain on my finger.

"Ow!" I dropped the knife onto the wooden board, "Ahh," Blood was coming out of my finger and dripping onto the board. God, I was such an idiot. Leave it to me to cut myself in front of a vampire.

I looked up and saw Stefan's face transform into one of a demon. Quickly grabbing a towel, I wrapped it around my finger. "You okay?" I asked him.

After taking a few deep breaths, the veins below Stefan's eyes receded, and once again, I could see into his green eyes. "Yeah, sorry." He said, "It's just your blood..."

"Yeah, I know, I'm an idiot."

"No, no, that's not what I meant..." He looked at me, "Your blood... it's not like any other kind of blood. It smells... really good. It's kinda hard to explain."

I walked closer to him, and took his face into my hands, making sure to keep my finger covered. "I trust you, okay?" I told him as I kissed him.

"I know, and I would never hurt you." He promised. I smiled. I was in love with Stefan.

* * *

The next day, was the day of the "Sexy Suds Car Wash" that Caroline was making me go to. I sighed.

When I arrived, Caroline was giving specific rules of "don't"s and "no"s to the car washers, "No friend discounts. No freebies. No pay ya laters. We are not running a charity here. No, we are not."

I laughed and rolled my eyes at her. Oh, Caroline.

I looked around and saw cars already lining up by the school, ranging in all different shapes and sizes. I went up to Caroline and asked, "Is Elena here?"

"For heaven's sake, no." Caroline said in a "duh" voice. "I know she's your sister and all, but she'd just make the "sexy" in "sexy car wash" become just "car wash"."

I sighed again. Maybe if my friends were willing to forgive Elena, she'd be happier. From the corner of my eye, I saw Stefan walk towards me. "Hey there," I said to him.

He smiled and said, "Hi." He wrapped his arms around me.

"The event is called sexy suds, you know," Caroline said, then she walked off.

"Did we just get scolded?" Stefan asked me teasingly.

"Yeah, we did." I said, then I smiled slyly, "I guess you're going to have to take that off." I gestured to his jacket.

"I think you have to go first." He retorted.

"Okay," I grabbed the ends of my sleeveless shirt, and slipped it off, revealing my black two-piece swimsuit. "What do you think?" I placed my shirt on a nearby table. I was also wearing some black flip-flops and silver earrings.

His eyed heated as they raked over my body. "If that doesn't qualify for sexy, I don't know what does." I laughed, and he cupped my face, placing a kiss on my lips.

"You're turn." I said.

"Well," he smiled, "I definitely can't top yours, but..." He took off his jacket, just leaving on a black shirt that hugged his toned muscles.

"You look sexy to me." I smirked.

"Come here." He said gruffly. I giggled, and Stefan grabbed my hips, pulling me to him.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Matt was watching Stefan and Ariana kiss with sad eyes.

"Uh-uh," Bonnie said from where she was, cleaning the other side of the same car, "No. None of that tortured pining stuff."

Matt looked at her, "I'm just observing." But even he knew that was a lie. It hurt him to see Ariana interact like that with others. The pain was always there.

"Mm-hmm," Bonnie said, unconvinced, "Right."

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Stefan and I were washing one of the cars, when I noticed that his daylight ring was getting all soapy.

"Too bad," I said, "That ring's nice, yet you can't take it off when washing."

"Yeah," Stefan said, "But it's alright. It was designed by a witch, so it doesn't react with other elements."

"What's the stone?" I asked him.

"Lapis lazuli." Cool, I thought. I was pretty, I need to get one of those rings...

"You know Bonnie? I think she may be a witch, or like a psychic." I said to Stefan.

"I do too," I looked towards him, surprised. He said, "I've been suspecting it ever since you brought up the subject at dinner that night." Wow. Stefan actually thought that Bonnie was a witch. Could it be possible? I mean, Stefan was a vampire, so why not?

Changing the subject, I said, "I'm gonna get some towels. Be right back."

"Okay," Stefan smiled.

I walked over to Caroline. She was standing behind the table, collecting and counting the money. "He," I called to her, "We're out of towels and those shimmy things." I could never figure out what they were actually called.

"I'll go get some more." She smiled at me, "Mind the money."

"Okay," I said to her. Then, she strode away, bouncing like a little girl. I smiled.

* * *

I couldn't find Caroline anywhere. Where did she go? I spotted Stefan by a different car this time, and went over to him. I was about to ask if he's seen my best friend, when I saw something catch on fire. "Stefan!" I shouted towards him.

He followed my gaze, and jogged closer to the fire. Bonnie was standing right in front of the fire, staring at it absently with wide eyes. I walked over to her, concerned. "Bonnie. Are you okay?" I shook her arm, and she blinked a few times. The fire went out, just like that.

"What just happened?" Bonnie asked Stefan and I as she finally started focusing.

"You were in some kind of trance." I told her. Stefan and I shared a look, and I knew what he was thinking. Bonnie was a witch.

"Did I do this?" She asked and jerked her chin towards the car that had caught on fire. There was nothing to prove that a fire had recently just burned... besides the darkened windows.

Stefan hesitated to answer, "I think so, yeah," he said.

"Nobody else saw, did they?" She asked us. I shook my head. "Don't tell anybody, please." She pleaded with us.

"Of course we won't tell anyone, Bonnie." I assured her. If I was to tell someone, who knows what would happen. First, I'd probably get labeled "crazy" and then get locked into an asylum. And if somehow, they did believe me, it'd be like the Salem Witch Trials all over again. Stefan nodded to Bonnie, implying that he would keep her secret.

"Thanks, guys." She smiled, and then turned and walked away, probably too freaked out to speak. I know I'd be, if I ever found out I was a witch.

It didn't change my view of Bonnie. It never would. Just like with Stefan, Bonnie was still Bonnie; my best friend. She just had powers now, or whatever. I had no idea what being a witch was like, but I think that I'd find out soon enough...

* * *

Once I got home, after the fund-raiser-car-wash thing, I called Caroline. Thankfully, she was home safely. But why had she left so early? It wasn't like Caroline to bail at something that she helped to organize. Though, when I asked her, she just gave the same excuse that everyone always gives: She said "she was sick". Yeah, right. Caroline doesn't get sick, because she always shows up, no matter what. So... what was wrong?

I looked to the clock in the living room. It read: _8:12. _It wasn't that late, so I thought about visiting Stefan. I know that he had warned me to stay away, even if Damon was securely locked up. But, because of that, I figured it was safe to go to the boarding house and talk with him.

I needed to sort out things. About vampires, Damon, Caroline, and Bonnie.

* * *

I drove up to the boarding house, steering my car into the gravel of the driveway. I knew, right then, that something was wrong. There was something in the air, it smelled like...

Death.

I ran up onto the porch, taking the steps two at a time. The air was cold too, colder than it should be in September, in Virginia. Good thing I had decided to wear my black leather jacket.

I was about to knock on the door, but it swung open before I had the chance to. The sight shocked me.

Stefan was standing there, with an angry look on his face, as if he was ready to take revenge on someone. The long, thick wooden stake in his hand further strengthened my assumption. I sighed mentally. Damon must have broken out, and done something really bad. Great...

Stefan was surprised to see me there, his eyebrows raised in question and confusion.

In a concerned, and slightly afraid voice, I asked, "What happened?"

I'm not sure that I wanted to know the answer.

* * *

**Sorry that this chapter wasn't as long. As you probbaly know, Ariana is already aware of vampires, so you didn't have to sit through the long and tedious process of how she would've found out if she was Elena. **

**Whether you want to comment or criticize my story, please, leave a review.**

**Thanks! I really appreciate it!**

**-Spiralcloud**


	7. Lost Girls

**LOST GIRLS**

"What happened?" I asked Stefan with obvious concern. Still looking at me, I saw him put the stake down by the table next to the door.

"Damon happened." He said, trying to restrain his anger. Damon must have done something _really _really bad. "You shouldn't have come. I told you it was too dangerous."

"I know," I said to him, "But I just had so many things that I wanted to talk to you about." Hesitating, I stepped a bit closer to him, and asked softly, "What did he do? Besides break out, I mean."

Stefan, took my hand gingerly, and said, "Come in. I'll feel better once you're inside."

I nodded, then walked in to the victorian styled boarding house.

* * *

After Stefan told me the "story", I sat down on one of the comfy couches, feeling like a ton of weight was just dropped onto me. Stefan sat next to me, holding onto me, as if I was the only thing there keeping him from ripping off his brother's head.

So, this was the story: Caroline had somehow gotten "hypnotized", or whatever, by Damon because of the blood Damon had consumed by her. So she went to the boarding house, and unlocked the cellar. She got out into the sun before Damon could attack her, but unfortunately, Zach wasn't so lucky. Zach was dead; Damon had snapped his neck. So now, the sun was down, and Damon was out there, doing whatever the hell he wanted to do.

I sat there patiently, listening while Stefan had tried telling the story, calmly. I knew this was hard on him. His "uncle" had just been killed by his brother. I felt sad too. Caroline was almost killed. No wonder she was acting so strange on the phone earlier.

What could we do about Damon? I knew that Stefan was on the verge of killing his own brother, once and for all. But I had managed to talk him out of it. Not only would Damon die, but I knew Stefan, and he wouldn't be able to deal with the guilt that was already crushing him.

Breaking me out of my depressing thoughts, Stefan's phone rang. Stefan took one look at the screen of his phone, and turned to me and said, "It's Damon."

I jerked a little, then nodded. He took that as a sign to answer it.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Stefan answered the phone, meeting Ariana's gaze as he did so. He held her hand. Her mere touch was enough to keep him from going over the edge. Her presence reminded him that he had something to live for. "Hello, Damon." Stefan said, expectingly.

"I want my ring." Came Damon's voice on the other end. Ariana, though, couldn't hear him, since the phone wasn't on "speaker phone".

"Where are you?" Stefan asked.

"I'm at the sizzler. I had the buffet." That wasn't a good answer. Stefan knew what Damon would call a "buffet". "Where's my ring?" Damon asked.

"I don't have it." Stefan lied, then asked, "Where are you? What have you done?"

"No," Damon countered, "What have _you _done? You're the one that locked me in the basement and starved me, so whatever I've done, whoever I've sucked dry is on you, buddy." Stefan gritted his teeth. He had to look away from Ariana and let go of her hand, for fear of accidentally hurting her. Ariana looked at Stefan questioningly.

"You're being careless." Stefan told Damon over the phone, "How many more animal attacks is this town gonna believe, huh?"

"I know how to cover my tracks, Stefan." Damon retorted, "Where's my ring?"

"I gave it to Zach to hide." Stefan lied, "Probably shouldn't have killed him."

Damon was silent for a moment, but then said, "You almost got me. Where is it?"

"I'll get it back." Stefan said reluctantly. If he hadn't said that, who knows how many others Damon would kill just to rile up Stefan. "But I need time."

"What, did you FedEx it to Rome?" Damon asked sarcastically, annoyed, and angry, "I want my ring, Stefan, or my next stop's Ariana's."

Stefan's eyes darkened, "I already want you dead." He stated. From beside him, Ariana winced. Stefan gave her a "sorry" look. "Don't give me another reason to make it happen. And we both know, you'd never hurt her."

Damon was silent for a few long seconds. "Perhaps," he finally said. "But that wouldn't stop me from killing her annoying brother and sister."

"Yeah?" Stefan taunted, "Is that gonna be before or after you get your ring back?"

"Just get it." Was Damon's last say, as he hung up on Stefan.

Stefan looked at his phone, as if he could glare daggers right into Damon's face.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

"You okay?" I asked Stefan as he finally turned to look at me after the intense phone call. I was only able to hear what Stefan had been saying the whole time. But it was enough to know what may have happened. "Damon" plus "anger" equals "killing". Please tell me it wasn't anyone I knew. I knew that it was selfish, but I'd rather the people who I knew and cared about, survived more than complete strangers. I sighed. I didn't even know what to think anymore.

"Yeah," Stefan reached out and touched my knee, rubbing soothing circles around it. "I'll figure out a way to... deal with it."

I nodded, not really finding anything else to say. My brain was scattered in every direction, I could barely even think. My head felt like it was going to explode as tears threatened to spring out of my eyes. People were getting hurt, and there was nothing that I could do about it.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pervaded through my skull. The last sound I heard was Stefan shouting my name, before I succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

I woke up... wait... Where the hell was I?

All I could see was a bunch of sticks and green leaves, blocking out something bright. Then, my brain righted itself, and I figured out that I was staring up at the sky through trees. I was laying down... outside?

Below me was a blanket, one that I recognized was used to drape a chair back at the boarding house. I sat up, and groaned as I felt my head swirl and my sight turn blurry.

I heard the rustling of leaves, and then I saw somebody crouch down beside me. As my eyes refocused, I realized it was Stefan. "Hey," he said quietly, concern clouding his features, "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said groggily. My voice sounded terrible. "Where am I?"

"We're at my old home." He pointed to a group of old stones that were scattered around the forest. Some were still stuck together, and protruding from the ground like ancient columns. Wow, Stefan's home must have burned down, or something. Stefan smirked, "Not a pretty sight, is it?"

I shrugged, "You have the boarding house." Then, remembering that Zach had just recently died, I said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to be insincere."

"It's fine." He said.

"How long was I out?" I asked him, as he helped me to stand up on the blanket. "And, what I meant was, why did you bring me here while I was still unconscious?" I wasn't trying to be rude, but I did just wake up in the middle of nowhere, and my head still hurt like a bitch.

"You were out for about fourteen hours." he said. Fourteen hours! Geez, what time was it? Jenna must've been freaking out. "I called your brother, and told him you were staying with me for the night. And, sorry, but I heard Damon while he was coming to the boarding house, so I didn't want to leave you alone while I went to search for something."

"Thanks." I said to Stefan. He was just looking out for my safety, that's all. Plus, now I didn't have to worry about calling Aunt Jenna. Who knows what would've happened if she found out that I was gone, and nowhere to be found.

Then, I tasted something weird in my mouth. It was almost bittersweet, like wine.

Stefan caught me licking my lips. "Oh, yeah," he almost looked guilty, "I fed you some of my blood once you passed out. I didn't want to take the chance that it was something... serious."

So, that's what vampire blood tasted like. Actually, now that I thought about it, it was pretty good. Vampire blood was supposed to heal, right? "It's okay," I said to Stefan. It's not like it was going to turn me into a vampire or anything. As long as I didn't die. Anyways, it was Stefan, and the thought of tasting his blood was making my cheeks turn red.

Stefan, still holding my arm, said, "You know, Damon and I used to be brothers back in 1864. We were best friends."

I nodded understandingly. That's how Jeremy, Elena, and I used to be. Like best friends.

"Then Katherine ruined it." Stefan finished. "She compelled us, and now Damon is still trying to punish me for outing her to my father. He's still heartbroken over that fact."

I was starting to feel sorry for Damon and Stefan. They had such a strong brotherly bond, then Katherine had to come into the picture, and turn them against each other. I always wondered what Katherine was like. How did she act back then? And not just from Stefan's descriptions. Then there's Damon... well, I guess he was still not over Katherine's death. He carried that pain around with him, and unleashed it on others.

Then, Stefan walked us over to the base of a tree. He bent down, and flipped a fallen leaf over, revealing a ring that looked almost identical to Stefan's. It was silver, with a lapis lazuli stone. I still wanted one of those...

"Is that Damon's ring?" I asked Stefan, as he picked up the ring, showing me that instead of the "S" that was on Stefan's ring, Damon's had a "D".

He looked at me, and said, "Yes. I took it from him, but I have to give it back."

"Wouldn't he just hurt more people that way?" On second thought, Damon could kill a bunch of people, with or without his daylight ring.

Stefan said, "If I don't give it to him, he'll retaliate in the only way that he knows he can hurt me." He locked eyes with me, and whispered the last part, "By hurting you."

I felt my heart warm at that, though I was a little confused.

Stefan saw my look, and said, "He may not hurt you physically, but, he can cripple you by hurting your family."

No. Jeremy, Elena, Jenna... He almost killed Caroline that one time, and he's killed many other people. It was all over the news, the "wild animal" attacks. _Yeah, right, that's what they are_, I thought sarcastically. Damon couldn't hurt anyone else, I didn't want him too. I sighed. We were giving him his ring back.

* * *

After that, Stefan picked me up bridal style, and vampire sped me to my house. I walked through the door, looking forward to a warm shower and change of clothes. But, instead, I found Vicki sprawled on the floor in pain, with Matt and Jeremy there looking worried. Elena was sitting on the couch by Vicki, looking as if she wanted to leave the room.

"Oh, my gosh." I said, "Vicki, are you okay?" I was about to go over to her, but Stefan held me back, in a vise-like grip.

"Ariana, stay back." He gave me a look that said he knew what was wrong with Vicki. Dear God, what's happened now?

Stefan walked over to Vicki, and knelt down so that he was eye level with he. Vicki looked terrible. Her eyes were closed, and sweat was all over her, making her messy brown hair stick up. "Vicki, look at me." Stefan said to Vicki, as we all watched worried. Well, actually, Elena just stared at Stefan. "You're gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine." Then to Jeremy and Matt, he said, "Guys, take her up to bed. Shut the blinds. She's gonna be okay."

Matt and Jeremy each took a groaning Vicki by the arms, and hauled her up the stairs into Jeremy's room.

"What the hell's wrong with her?" Elena asked as she continued to search the channels on the TV.

Stefan gave her a hard look. "She's in pain." He answered stiffly. Then to me, he said whispering, "She's transitioning."

I knew what he was talking about. Vicki was going to become a vampire. But how? "What happened?" I asked.

"Damon must have gotten to her." I swear to God, if Damon did something to hurt someone else, I was going to give Stefan the "go ahead" to kill him. Stefan continued, "She's new. She hasn't completed her transformation yet. She needs human blood. If she doesn't get any..." he paused, "She'll die."

My breath caught, "But she can't," It was getting hard to keep my voice down, in order for Elena not to overhear, "She's Matt's sister and I- I can't-"

"Shh, shh," Stefan soothed me and wrapped his arms around me. I couldn't keep it in anymore, tears started to flow from my eyes. It was a relief. I was trying to be strong, but in the end, even the strongest people have weaknesses.

Vicki couldn't die. It wasn't right, there's already been too many deaths. Matt needed her. But... if Vicki was on drugs _before _she was created into a vampire, how would she be like _after._

"When is she gonna find out?" I mumbled to him, after wiping my eyes.

"Once she gets deeper into the transition," Stefan explained, "Memories will start to come back. Then, she'll know she has to make a choice."

"I don't know which one I think she should choose," I admitted to Stefan, "I mean, Matt needs her, and I don't want her to die, but, as much as I don't want to admit it, she's unstable. And once she becomes a vampire..." I couldn't say it, the words caught in my throat.

Stefan finished for me; "Those characteristics will be amplified."

I could only nod.

Then, I heard Matt yell, "Vick. Vicki!" Seconds later, Vicki ran past us, disappearing out the door.

"She was fine, and then she just- she just freaked out." Jeremy explained as he rushed into the living room.

"I'm gonna go look for her. Call me if you hear anything." Matt said to me. I nodded, and he fast-walked out the door, following Vicki.

Stefan turned to me, "I can track her."

"Go. Be careful, I'll see you later." I told him. Hopefully he finds Vicki. It's not like things could get any worse, but I've been saying that since mom and dad died.

Giving me a kiss, Stefan said, "You too," Then he went out.

"Damn," Elena said, as if everything was perfectly fine, "Our life is like a soap opera."

"Shut up!" Jeremy shouted.

"No!" Elena sneered at him, "You, shut up!"

"Guys," I said calmly, "We have other things to worry about right now."

Geez, couldn't they just act nicely towards each other. There were bigger forces at hand. I wasn't their mother, I could never be like our mom, but somebody had to supervise them.

"Where were you last night?" Elena asked me.

"I was with Stefan." I said. It wasn't technically a lie. Wasn't Jeremy supposed to tell her?

"And who gave you permission to do that?" Elena asked me as if _she_ were my guardian.

"Aunt Jenna did, when I told her." Jeremy spoke up, before I could.

"Oh," Elena glared at him, "And you didn't think to tell me?"

"It wasn't about you." Jeremy retorted.

"Like hell it is," Elena snarled, "She's my sister too, ya know." As if Elena cared whether or not I was her sister. She just didn't want to be left out of "the loop".

Jeremy and Elena were arguing and shouting for what seemed like hours. I already had a headache from passing out, and right now, I felt like bashing my skull through the living room wall. Or maybe, I could throw Elena and Jeremy off a cliff.

Thankfully, the doorbell rang. I sighed in happiness when Jeremy and Elena finally stopped talking. I walked over to the door, massaging my aching temples, and opened it. Damon stood on the other side, smirking and looking all dangerous.

I was too focused on trying to rid the pain in my head, that I felt absolutely no fear. I had forgotten about all the bad things that Damon had done. Well, sort of. I was still wary, but I knew that Damon wouldn't hurt me or my family. Call it a gut feeling, or whatever, but I don't think he'd try anything with me here.

"I'd never thought I'd say this," I said, looking at Damon, "But, I'm glad you're here. Maybe you could go into the living room and bash some sense into my siblings."

"As you wish." He said, smirking, as he walked into the house, heading for Elena.

"I was kidding!" I said, then winced as pain flashed through my head. I leaned against the wall, trying to breath in and out, willing myself not to pass out.

Damon was there in a second, grabbing my arm, as he asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah," I replied and groaned, "I fainted today, or actually yesterday. Mix that in with all you've been doing recently, and you get a huge headache."

"Well," He smirked, "I could give you some blood. It works better than aspirin."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Truthfully, I was really wishing for some sort of pain reliever. "If I wanted blood, I'd ask Stefan." I felt kinda bad for saying that after I saw hurt flash through Damon's eyes. This was why I refused to believe that Damon had no humanity, because at times, he did show it.

"Where _is_ my baby bro?"

"He's looking for Vicki, whom you turned." I stated.

He shrugged, "She was collateral damage."

My mouth popped open. I was already pissed at him, and I felt the anger pervade through my body. Vicki. Was not. Just collateral damage. Not to me.

"Just go please." I said, breathless, "You've done enough "damage" here already. Just find your person, and leave the rest of my friends alone." I was getting tired of Damon's schemes. I wanted him gone, and away from everyone in this town. If he were to leave, would I miss him? Maybe. But, right then, I didn't want to ever see him again. Which was harsh, I know.

Damon was staring at me quietly for a long time. It could've been seconds, minutes, or hours, before he suddenly said, "I'm gonna go find Stefan." Then he left, just like that.

* * *

I paced on the porch of my house, anxiously waiting for Stefan to get back. What if something bad had happened? Did Damon do something to him? Where was Vicki? Questions dominated my mind, making my headache before feel like a heaven.

Then, I saw someone approach me. Stefan!

"Hey, thank God-" My voice caught in my throat as I saw that his shirt was covered in blood. It was spewing out from what looked like... bullet holes? Who the hell was shooting him, and why? "You're bleeding, are you okay?"

I took his hand, and made him sit on the light-colored wood porch chair.

"It's okay, I'm okay," He protested, trying to calm me down. But then he said, "I couldn't stop her. I tried, and she fed. Now I can't find her."

At first, I was scared yet glad. Scared, because now there was another vampire. But glad that Vicki wasn't completely dead. But now... how was I gonna explain this to Matt, to Jeremy? I could lie to them. I was never good at lying, especially to my close friends and family. They knew me too well.

"Gosh," I admitted, "I wish things were easier. Now I have to make up a story about Vicki." I turned to look at Stefan, "How am I supposed to explain what Vicki is? How long is it going to take before people start figuring out that she's not... aging?" I choked on the last words.

"I'm so sorry," Stefan said brokenly, as he wrapped his arms around me, comforting me.

"Don't be," I whispered to him, "It's not your fault." It was Damon's. But I didn't need to say that, Stefan knew the unspoken statement. Damon was definitely a force to be reckoned with. He was the reason why a lot people were dead. The reason why Caroline had been hurt, and Vicki turned.

What would Jeremy be like after already losing our parents? Could Vicki still even be able to see Jeremy? She might accidentally hurt him, which I would then feel responsible yet despondent.

And then, there's Matt. His mom was in Virginia beach, so it was up to him to pay for mortgage bills, and such. He had to provide for Vicki too, who was his _sister. _And Vicki was now a vampire. How would that change their lives? Thinking about that was depressing.

"We'll take this one step at a time." Stefan said, breaking me out of my thoughts, "Together."

I smiled a bit. I really did love Stefan. He was so kind, and loving. Even though his brother Damon was the one ruining all our lives, that wasn't his fault. Damon didn't follow his brother back to Mystic Falls. Damon came on his own, looking for someone, or so he claimed.

Stefan made me feel secure, safe. With him, I could almost forget all of my dilemma's. With him, we could figure out a way to solve all of our problems. With him, I didn't feel like I had to worry.

So when he bent to kiss me, the last word I repeated right before our lips touched, was: "Together."

* * *

**Yay! Another episode done. So, sorry if you thought like Ariana was acting kinda bitchy, but I can't have her being a Mary Sue either. **

**Anyways, thanks for reviewing. If you have any ideas or comments, please feel free to review!**

**-Spiralcloud**


	8. Haunted

**HAUNTED**

_Beep. Beep. Beep. _The alarm sounded, waking me up. "Uh," I groaned, reaching around lazily and pushing the _"off" _button. I sat up, and plucked my phone off of my nightstand. It was October 31st today; Halloween.

I found Stefan's phone number easily from the call list, and sent him a text:

_How are you? Did you find Vicki?_

The response was almost immediate:

_I'm good. We were able to find Vicki, she's here at the boarding house._

Thank god, Vicki was alright. But what did Stefan mean by "we". Was Damon helping us? No. I should know by now that whatever Damon does always ends up benefitting him, one way or the other.

I rubbed my eyes, and stood up, stretching out my entire body. I changed into a long-sleeved blue shirt, black jeans, and grey leather high-heeled boots. I then stumbled to the bathroom, and found someone else already occupying it.

"Sorry," I told Jeremy.

"Oh no, it's cool, I'm done." Jeremy said to me. He was going to walk back into his room, when I asked;

"Are you going to school today?"

"No," He answered, "Police station. They're organizing that search party for Vicki."

I did admire how much Jeremy cared for Vicki. But considering Vicki was currently not missing, but actually at the boarding house - learning to be a controlled vampire, it didn't exactly help. Also, Jeremy needed to be focused in school, he's missed so many days - sometimes consecutively - for the last few months.

"Oh," I said in reference to his last answer, "That's nice. I hope you guys find her, but I'm sure she's okay," I pretended to be enthusiastic.

"Yeah, I hope we do." Jeremy said, then he walked back to his room.

I sighed, the fake smile falling from my face. If Vicki was able to become controlled, then I wouldn't be so against her being with Jeremy. If Jeremy wanted to become a vampire for her - if she were to ever tell him - then... I guess that would be his choice to make. I just don't want Jeremy to have to go through what happened when mom and dad died... never again.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Stefan, Damon, and Vicki were all in one of the dining rooms of the house. Damon and Stefan had just saved Tyler from Vicki trying to, well... eat him. Damon sat in the chair by the table near the window. One streak of sunlight was streaming through the window, casting light on the newspaper Damon was reading.

Damon was complaining about people covering up Logan's death, when Vicki suddenly stated she was hungry. Standing up, Stefan walked over to the high table, grabbing a cup filled with animal blood.

"Here," he said, handing the cup to Vicki.

She took it, and smelt it. "What is it?"

"It's what you're craving."

"Hah," Damon piped up, "Don't lie to the girl. It's so not what you're craving, but it'll do in a pinch, right, Stef?"

"What is it?" Vicki repeated, looking at the blood, somewhat confused and grossed out.

"Yeah," Damon smirked. "what is it? Is it a skunk? Saint Bernard? Bambi?"

Stefan ignored him, and said to Vicki, "Go on. Give it a try?" Stefan had to at least have hope, for Jeremy, Ariana's brother. Vicki took a sip. It wasn't exactly disgusting, but it wasn't very satisfying either.

"She's new," Damon said, "She needs people blood. She can't sustain on that stuff."

"Yeah, why can't I have people blood?" She asked Stefan, taking a bigger gulp of the blood.

"Yeah," Damon smirked.

"Because it's wrong to pray on innocent people, Vicki." Stefan said, annoyed at Damon.

"You don't have to kill people to feed," Damon stated in an obvious tone, "Just find someone really tasty and then erase their memory afterwards. It's so easy."

Vicki smiled and giggled at Damon.

"No, no, no." Stefan objected, bringing Vicki's focus back towards him, "There's no guarantee that you can control yourself, okay? It takes years to learn that. You could easily kill somebody, and then you have to carry that with you for the rest of your life, which, if I hadn't made clear, is eternity."

Damon just rolled his eyes, and said to Vicki, "Don't listen to him. He walks on a moral plane _way _out of our eye line. I say: snatch, eat, erase."

Vicki was staring at Damon in awe, as if he just opened that gateway to an endless freedom. "Hey, look at me." Stefan said, trying to bring Vicki's attention back to him. "We choose our own paths. Our values and actions, they define who we are."\

"Okay," Damon said, rolling his eyes again, "Count deepak. I am outta here." Damon stood up, and walked downstairs. While he was in the main hallway of the first floor, the doorbell rang.

Damon perked up as he realized who it was. He swiftly opened the door, revealing the beautiful girl standing there.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Elena and Jenna were still sleeping, so before going to school, I made a stop at Stefan's house. I wanted to see how they were doing with Vicki, and if she was okay.

I knew that Damon was somehow involved in the "situation", so I wasn't surprised when it was him whom answered the door. "Why, isn't it Ariana." Damon smirked at me. "Here to give me another one of your 'speeches'."

"Mm," I smirked right back, "Unfortunately, no. I'm here to see Stefan and Vicki."

Damon placed a hand on his chest, above his heart, pretending to be hurt, "You wound me, Gilbert."

I scoffed, "I wish. You're practically indestructible."

He grinned, "Of course I am. I'm a vampire."

I shook my head, and asked, "Can I come in?"

"Of course, you may," He held the door wide open.

I walked and said politely, "Thank you."

"You're more than welcome." He said, "As much as I'd love to stay, I need to be somewhere." Then he winked at me, "I hope to see you later." The door closed behind him. I heard none of his footsteps as he left the property. At least Damon was acting less dangerous than usual. Oh, he was definitely dangerous, but that air around him was less. Though, he was still acting strange.

I walked further into the boarding house. "Ariana?" Stefan's voice came from mid-way up the staircase. He looked partially confused, and partially glad, to see me.

I beamed at him. "Hey, Stefan." He quickly stepped down the staircase, stopping right in front of me.

"Hey," He said back, giving me a hug."Sorry. I didn't realize you were coming."

"Oh, no, I'm sorry," I said, as we pulled away. "I should've texted, but I wanted to see Vicki in person. She's okay, right?"

He hesitated, "I - I'm working with her, but it's gonna take some time. She's a very volatile and impulsive personality. She's a drug user. I mean, all that's gonna play a part in how she responds to this."

I nodded understandingly. Vicki as a vampire didn't exactly paint the most serene scene. But we had to try. For Matt, for my brother, and simply, for Vicki.

"Alright," I said, "We'll just have to wait. But with time, she can learn to control herself, right?"

He nodded. "Yes, with time. I don't know how long it's gonna take."

"I don't care," I said, "As long as we try." I smiled at him.

He smiled back, "I'm gonna keep her here with me until I know that she's safe."

Before I could respond, another voice said, "How long is that?" I looked up the staircase to see Vicki standing there. She looked really bored, as if she couldn't wait for the sun to go down so that she could run around. Crap. I had totally forgotten about that. How was Vicki supposed to go to school? Or see Jeremy?

"Vicki," I smiled at her, "How are you?"

"How am I?" She asked as if I had offended her. I didn't think I had. "You're kidding, right?"

I wasn't sure if her answer was supposed to mean that she felt good, or bad.

* * *

Once we were all seated in a dining room, Stefan tried to explain to Vicki about drinking coffee and animal blood instead of human blood. The dining room, like the rest of the house, was very old and beautiful. Why couldn't I live here? Stefan got uncomfortable as he started talking about how he wasn't proud of his past behavior. But, I didn't worry about that. It isn't matter who he was before, what matters is who he was now.

Then, after making an awkward speech about her having to go pee, Vicki left the room.

Stefan turned to me, and said, "I'm going to...uh...get her some more," He showed me the empty cup which was filled with animal blood before Vicki drank it all. "I'll be quick."

"'kay." I said. He kissed me, then vampire sped away. I wished I could do that...

I stood up. I couldn't take another minute of sitting. That's when Vicki came back in. She babbled, referring to the "needing to go pee" part of her speech, "False alarm. My body's feeling really funky. It's a good funk, but it's weird."

I smiled. "How're you doing Vicki? Is Matt okay?" I asked her.

"Well, I feel like myself, just... it's kinda weird to explain." She said, tilting her head to the side. "Oh, and um... Matt's fine. You know how he is, the good kid and all."

"Is he happy?" I asked her. Matt and I had been practically together since we were kids, and I'm always worried about him. But I guess I'd said something I shouldn't have, because Vicki snapped. Her eyes flashed in anger, and she rushed towards me.

I couldn't even let out a scream, as her hand pinned my throat to the wall, cutting off my air almost completely. I gasped at the pain, shock, and fear. "Happy? Happy?!" She shouted in my face, laughing and smiling humorlessly like a psychopath. Then, her eyes turned hard, "Let's get one thing straight, you perky little bitch." She sneered, looking me up and down. "You had my brother whipped for fifteen years. _Fifteen _years. Then, you dumped him. And I thought your sister was a bitch, but now all I see is you as one. I won't think _twice_ about ripping your little head off. You got it?"

When Vicki finally let me go, there was lots of pain in my throat. I started coughing, feeling as if I'd throw up. But, at least I could breathe again. When I looked up, Vicki was gone, probably on the third level of the house.

I knew that Matt was still trying to get over the break up, but I didn't know how bad he was really hurting. And Vicki, had been trying to hide her anger for me. But then, with her becoming a vampire, and my asking, she finally couldn't hold it in anymore, and she attacked me. So I did understand her point of view, but, I mean, who likes to be threatened by an uncontrolled vampire? Who can, more likely than not, kill me before I even realized what she was trying to do.

After a few minutes of rubbing my neck to try and subdue the pain, Stefan rushed back into the room, asking me what happened.

"Vicki..." I started uncertainly. Stefan suddenly turned, as if he was about to bolt to find Vicki. "No," I lied, "It's fine, it doesn't even hurt that much. She was angry, that's all."

He was angry, I could see it in his eyes, and the way his shoulders tensed. "Let me see," He said. His fingers skimmed across my neck gingerly, like a feather. I could barely feel them. "Your neck seems fine. You might just get a faint bruise."

I nodded unsuccessfully, "Yeah, no, I'm fine. She just wasn't able to control her anger."

He nodded, still looking worried. He explained, "She's on edge. Every sense in her body is operating at super speed. It could take months before she even begins to control it."

I nodded. Months? And that would only be the beginning? Geez, I'd be dead by then.

Stefan continued, "She needs to stay away from Jeremy." That's when I realized that if Vicki was to continue this thread of uncontrollable feelings, she could hurt Jeremy. "When you're new, it's hard to separate your feelings. Love, lust, anger, desire... it can all burn into one urge, hunger."

Which meant that Vicki couldn't be around other people, not until we knew for sure that she wouldn't hurt them. Because, although she may deny it, Vicki could accidentally hurt her brother or mine, and that... I'm not sure if I'd be able to forgive her.

"Okay," I said to Stefan. I looked at the clock in the room, and my eyes widened. "Shoot! School starts in five minutes." How was I going to get there on time?

Stefan's worry momentarily subsided, making him smirk, "I could carry you there... it's a lot faster."

I smiled. Stefan was offering me a _ride _to school, on his back! I wondered how fast we would be able to go. Wouldn't someone see us? I immediately dismissed that question, like how would people be able to see Stefan when he's practically just a blur, a change in someone's peripheral vision. But then, my smile faded. "What about Vicki."

Stefan just shrugged, "It's light out, she can't go anywhere."

Oh, right. Vicki didn't have a daylight ring. I looked into Stefan's eyes, making sure that he was serious. He was. I could see his certainty. I felt a little jump in my heart, having no doubt that he could hear it beating.

"Alright," I smiled at Stefan, "Show me what you got."

Stefan's look was mischievous as he pulled me towards him. It was all a blur, as I felt myself in the air, and then, I wound up on Stefan's back. His hands rested under my thighs where my legs were wrapped around his hips. My arms rested on his shoulders. I could feel heat radiating off his body, and I snuggled into his back, my lips on his neck.

Then, he took off. I gasped at the exhilaration. Everything was a blur, and, somehow it didn't make me feel dizzy. I could feel Stefan, and it was as if he wasn't a person, but just an object. I could barely feel any bumps. It was like a roller coaster ride, without the turns and the banging.

I was excited the whole way to school. Gosh, if only I could ride like that to school everyday.

Stefan came to a stop (after only like a minute!) near the back entrance to school. Nobody besides Jeremy and Vicki - who were conveniently not coming to school - ever used the back entrance. It was secluded, and it could be, sometimes, a bit scary. But with Stefan there, I couldn't think of a more wonderful place.

I hopped off his back, while trying to fix my tangled hair. "Thanks," I beamed at him.

"No problem," he said, then his expression changed. "Maybe I shouldn't have done that."

"Why?" I asked, worried. It was my hair, wasn't it. How bad did it look?

"Your hair looks..." He started. Dang it, my hair was messed up, "Really sexy."

"What?" I asked, not believing what I was hearing. He thought my hair looked sexy? Before I could question him further, he kissed me passionately. I lost track of all thoughts, giving myself to him, freely. He caressed my face, as I wound my hands into his soft hair. Then, the stupid bell rang.

I broke away, before the kiss went any deeper. "I gotta go."

He nodded, and smirked. "Fix your hair before guys have _another_ reason for trying to..."

I rolled my eyes, "Will do. I'll text you later, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed, then he disappeared. I found myself running to Homeroom. And in heels, it's not exactly fun. I didn't have time to pat my hair down, so when I entered my classroom, I wasn't surprised to see a bunch of people looking at me. Many of their stares lingered. Well, mostly the guys, that is. Hmm... maybe Stefan was right. I wonder what my hair really looked like right then.

* * *

I was sitting in the living room couch after school, thinking about the Halloween carnival that was starting. Should I go? Apparently, Damon "lost" Vicki, meaning she ran off. Hopefully, she'd go to the carnival, so that we could find her.

Jeremy was in the kitchen, leaving a voice mail to Vicki at this moment, "You gotta call me, vic. I don't get it. What's going on with you? Just... just call me, please."

He hung up, and I watched him as he stared at his phone, annoyed yet worried. Elena strode into the room, looking back and forth between us.

"I'm bored," she announced, "Let's go to the Halloween thing at school... I found a costume." She smirked.

"Uh...yeah," Jeremy said, rolling his eyes.

"Sounds fun. Where'd you get the costume from?" I asked her.

She smirked again, and her eyes twinkled. "I bought it online."

"Yeah..." Jeremy said, uncomfortably, "I don't even want to know what it looks like."

"You probably don't." Elena agreed, then she turned to me, "I got you one too."

Oh no. What is Elena planning. "Can't I just wear my costume from last year?" I pleaded with her. I knew that wearing my nurse's costume would probably be better than whatever Elena was going to make me wear. But, then Matt would see me wearing it, and the whole reason to buying that costume in the first place was to match Matt's.

"Nope." Elena responded, "I already bought it. And come on, haven't you broken Matt's heart enough already. No need to bring back unwanted feelings."

I sighed. She was right. And anyways, I didn't want to be rude and not accept it. I mean, she bought it for me. I just don't really wanna know why. "Alright, I'll wear it." I said.

She grinned and then ran back up the stairs. Jeremy gave me a questioning look, and I just shrugged. "Vicki's going to the carnival," Jeremy spoke up, from where he was now looking at his phone. "So, I guess I'm going too."

Now I felt better, yet uneasy. We can finally find Vicki, but, is it really okay for a new vampire to be running around a school with a bunch of humans filled with blood? Yeah, I didn't think so. I was going to have to keep an eye on my brother, so that he didn't run off with her. She could hurt him, whether it's voluntary or not.

Elena ran back down the stairs, wearing an angel costume. It was white and long, with wings and a headband halo. It was a very modest costume, but what she was holding in her hands... was definitely _not. _

My mouth popped open. I heard Jeremy say, referring to me, "No way is she wearing that!"

"Oh yeah," Elena smirked, "She is."

* * *

After unsuccessfully trying to talk my way out of wearing the so called "costume", Jeremy, Elena, and I went to my car and drove to school. The whole time, Jeremy was muttering, "I can not believe you're wearing that." Jeremy, himself, didn't wear a costume. He was lucky.

Elena was sitting in the front with me, smiling like a crazy person. God, I wanted to smack her in the face for buying this outfit.

So, if I must, I'll explain what I'm wearing. Of course, since Elena was wearing an angle costume, I wore a devil costume. I was wearing a red strapless, heart-shaped corset mini-dress that ended near the top of my thighs. Black lace was weaved through the outline shape and made a sort of flowery pattern on the ends. The "dress" hugged my entire body, showing my curves and everything. On my back were barely visible black bat wings. To match it, on my head were a devil's ears' head band. I had on sheer lace black high thighs, and black platform stilettos.

Yep, I know, I definitely looked like a prostitute. "Elena, if you don't stop smiling, I'm gonna throw you out of the car." I threatened, half-serious. She tried ti stifle her giggles, but failed. Yeah, sure, _I_ was the devil.

* * *

Once we arrived to school, everywhere I went, people stared. I heard many whistles from guys, and had to restrain Jeremy from going over to them, and beating the crap out of them. Though, Jeremy did have lots of fun scaring little kids, for which I playfully smacked him. Great. Thanks a bunch, Elena, for making me wear this costume. Some kids here were barely five years old. There were even babies! Damn, I was gonna scar them for life...

"Oh. My. God." I heard a familiar voice breath from behind me.

I turned around, to see Matt staring at my costume. I was still feeling a bit guilty from the "talk" with Vicki about him. He was wearing the same costume from last year; a surgeon. I, however, was obviously not. "Yeah," I said, trying to distract Matt from him looking me over, "Elena bought it." I narrowed my eyes at my smirking sister.

"I'm not sure if I should thank you, or kill you." Matt said to Elena, not taking his eyes off me.

"You're welcome," Elena said smugly.

"Oh," Matt said, as if he just figured something out, "Now I get it. The devil and the angel." His eyes furrowed, and he smirked, "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

Elena glared at him, "Shut up." She said.

Matt then turned to Jeremy on my other side, "And you're going as ... you?"

Jeremy huffed, and walked away. "Yeah," Elena said, "He's still mad that I made Ariana wear the costume."

"I'd probably be if I saw Vicki wearing that. I'm still deciding whether I should kill you or not." Matt said, his jaw straining then slacking.

"Is Vicki here?" I asked Matt.

"Yeah, you can't miss her," Matt smirked, "She's a vampire." Oh, the irony. I needed to find her, and get her out. A crowd like this could end up with her killing someone.

"It was really nice to see you, Matt, but I need to go find her." I said, already taking a step.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked me in concern.

"Nothing," I lied, "I just wanna say 'hi'." He scrunched his eyebrows. Yeah, I really did suck at lying. But before he could say anything, I walked away from him and my sister. I walked deeper into the school. Wow, whoever designed this - probably Caroline - must have put a lot of work into it. I could barely recognize the school. Ultra-violet rays shone in all directions, illuminating the hallways. Fake webs, spiders, ghosts, and other monsters were found in corners and hanging from the walls and ceiling. There was a table filled with chips and soda along each wall.

When I turned a corner, I finally spotted Stefan and Vicki. Stefan's eyes widened when he caught sight of me, while Vicki just sneered in disgust.

Stefan was speechless, but when he finally saw my worried look, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"I was looking for you guys, and I lost track of Jeremy." I said.

Then, I think that Matt had followed me or something, because his voice sounded from right behind me, "What's going on?"

Before either Stefan or I could give an answer, Vicki suddenly decided to play the "victim", "I though I told you to quit bothering me." Vicki exclaimed to Stefan. What was she doing? We were trying to help her, and now, she was bringing Matt into the picture. Was she trying to get her brother involved? This would only end in hurt and heartbreak.

"Vicki..." I tried pleading with her, but Vicki cut me off.

"Matt, he won't leave me alone." Lies. Well, actually, not technically, but we were trying to help her. And without Stefan's help, she would have probably eaten half the school by now. Her vampire costume did look very stereotypical, unlike the real vampires.

"You need to back off, man." Matt said, angry at Stefan.

"Matt...it's okay." I said to him.

Matt's eyes flashed to me, and then back to Stefan. "No, it's not okay. What the hell is your problem?" Matt stepped closer to Stefan, and Stefan looked just as tense as they had an intense stare off. I stepped in between them, facing Matt. There was so little space between them, that I was almost touching both of them.

"Matt-" I tried to say, but instead, he grabbed my arm, and pulled me towards him, and away from Stefan.

"Look," Matt said, as he faced towards Stefan's cold gaze and glare. I was placed slightly to the side and behind him. I tried pulling out of his grip, but Matt pretended not to notice, and simply tightened it. "I have no idea why you're bothering my sister and my girl- I mean, Ariana." My heartbeat quickened at his mistake of wording, "But I swear to God, if this continues, I will not hold back."

I thought that they were going to start a fight right then and there. Matt's jaw was clenched, and Stefan looked like he wanted to rip me out of my ex-boyfriend's grasp.

I looked around for a distraction, anything. But it was dark, and people weren't really paying attention. Then, I realized who was not there. Vicki had gone off, she was no longer present.

"Guys," I said, "Vicki's gone." Matt's hold on me loosened, so I pulled my hand away, and moved to Stefan's side. Matt's eyes narrowed, as I whispered to Stefan, "We need to find Vicki." His angry gaze softened, and he nodded.

"We're gonna go find Vicki." I said to Matt. Grabbing my arm, Stefan led me away. Matt just stared after us, in regret and longing. My heart broke for him, but there were way more important things at hand. First, I needed to find my brother and his girlfriend.

* * *

I've looked everywhere. The only place next was at the back entrance of the school, where buses and big trucks were usually parked at.

I started feeling a bit cold as I walked through the heavy doors of the school, being met with the dark and mysterious night. The buses, as predicted, were lined up and looked almost neon in contrast with the gloomy surroundings. Stefan walked a little in front of me, tilting his head to the side, trying to pick up any sounds with his super hearing. I walked closer to a bus, and found Vicki. She was kissing Jeremy. Wait. No. She was sucking his blood.

"Vicki, stop!" I shouted. I knew this would happen. She would lose control, and now she was attacking Vicki. But at the sound of my voice, her demonic face turned towards me in anger. She looked more like a devil than I did.

Vicki then blurred towards me, and the next thing I knew of, was pain. She had threw me onto a pile of wood and garbage. I felt the wood pierce the side of my stomach. I gasped. I felt warm, thick liquid soak into my dress. Red on red.

Stefan was there in an instant, helping me up, and telling me to get Jeremy and myself out of there. I groaned and stood up, pushing Jeremy towards a shed. Vicki was nowhere to be seen. My heart was beating a mile per minute, and I was panting out of the fear and pain. I needed to get my brother safe. Jeremy seemed to be unscathed, besides the small cut on his lip where Vicki had seemingly bit him.

Stefan was looking around, trying to find Vicki.

Then, the back doors to the school opened again, and out stumbled Elena. No! She was going to get hurt if she didn't get out of here. "Hey, so this is where you guys are." She said. And before she could question why our faces were a mixture of shock, pain, confusion, and fear, Vicki suddenly blurred right in front of her.

"Well," said Vicki, tauntingly, "If it isn't the original bitch." Before any of us could react, she bit into Elena.

"No!" I yelled. Ignoring the protests from jeremy, I flung myself onto Vicki, pulling her off Elena. Elena dropped to the floor, her eyes were shut, and I had no idea whether or not she was okay. "No..." I whispered brokenly.

I felt a sharp and excruciating pain suddenly explode from my shoulder. I screamed. Vicki was biting me, and it hurt like hell.

Then, she stopped.

Stefan was behind Vicki, and her face had gone pale and grey. I looked to her chest, and saw a long, wooden stake sticking out. Oh no. Vicki was dying. Stefan let go of his end where he had staked her, and she fell to the asphalt, greying veins covering her entire body and face.

"Elena! Vicki!" I heard Jeremy shout. He was looking down at the two girls, his eyes tearing up. Jeremy... No. What was going to happen now. Vicki was dead. Matt...

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked me. My eyes looked to where Elena was, and I started crying.

"No!" I shouted, "Stefan! Please, save her." I dropped to my knees, and my hands flew to Elena's neck, where blood was spewing out.

Stefan nodded, and he knelt down beside me. Biting into his own flesh, he drew blood, and placed it above Elena's mouth. Blood dripped into her mouth, and I saw her wound start to close up. I sighed in relief. Elena would be okay.

"Please," I looked into Stefan's eyes, "Take Jeremy and Elena home."

Stefan understood. Without a word, he touched my shoulder - the one without blood on it - and blurred away, along with my unconscious sister and heartbroken brother.

I crawled over to where Vicki was, and started to sob. I touched her shoulder; it was freezing. Her skin was grey, and her face was in a mask of horror. They say when people die, they look peaceful. If that's true, then it doesn't apply to vampires.

How would I explain this to Jeremy, to Matt? How could I tell them that the girl they both love in different ways, is now dead. Like, dead-dead.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jerked back, frightened for a moment, before I saw Damon there, he's face was worried. "It's okay. It's just me." He said softly.

I still kept my distance. He did this. He's the one who turned Vicki, and now... now she was dead. "How... how could you." I choked out, trying to see through my tears. "People die around you, yet you pretend not to care."

"I don't." He stated. I knew he was lying. I could see through his facade.

"Yes you do. Don't try to deny it. You care, you're just afraid to show it. Why?" I asked.

Just when I thought that Damon would show...something, his eyes hardened, and he said, "Your wounds are bleeding. You should go home."

I kept his gaze for a few more seconds, then I stood up, trying to ignore my wounds. I walked away from him. From Vicki's dead body. From the school. If only it were that easy to walk away from my life...

* * *

"Ariana!" Matt's voice sounded from behind me. I was walking on the pavement in front of the school, and I groaned as he caught up with me. He was the last person I wanted to see right now. "Are you... whoa," he caught sight of the blood, "What happened. Was it-"

I cut him off before he could say "Stefan" as I knew he would. "Nothing. I just got some fake blood thrown at me."

"Oh," He relaxed, "Have you seen Vicki? You guys were looking for her, right?"

I shook my head, and lied, "We couldn't find her, I'm sorry."

Matt looked disappointed. "Is this what I'm in for, a lifetime of worrying about her?"

I smiled sadly, and said truthfully, "You're a good brother Matt. A good person."

"Apparently, not good enough for you," Matt retorted. I looked at him confused, and then finally caught on. "What's he got that I don't? Is it the money? Or the mystery?"

"Matt," I said, "I like Stefan for who he is. Not because of anything else. He's who I want to be with." I couldn't believe that Matt thought I was in it for the money or whatever. Did he really think so low of me?

Matt looked away, as if I'd slapped him. To hide his hurt, he suddenly said, "Well, I'm gonna go home and... wait for Vicki. Bye." He turned and walked away with his shoulders hunched.

I couldn't hold it in anymore. I ran to my car, and got into the driver's seat. After five minutes of trying to fit the key in, I started the call and pulled out of the school's driveway. Tears streamed down my face the entire way back to my house.

* * *

On the front porch was Stefan. He was sitting on the wooden bench, waiting for me. I let out a cry, and ran up to him. He enveloped me into his arms, and stroked my hair, as I cried into his chest. I pulled away, to see Stefan on the brink of tears, as if he was sharing my grief, "Where are they?" I asked him.

"Inside," He answered softly.

"I- need to go talk to them. Excuse me." I said. Pulling out of his arms, I staggered into the house, and up the stairs. I approached Jeremy's room, slowly. What I saw, broke my heart.

Jeremy was sitting on his bed, with his legs curled up against him. His arms were wrapped around his knees, as he continued to bawl out his eyes.

"Jeremy..." I said, as knew tears arose in my eyes. I ran over to him, sat on his bed, and hugged him. I felt his own arms wrap around me, and we cried in pain. Jeremy had just lost Vicki, the girl he had loved. It was as if our parents had died all over again. The lump in my throat was unbearable. What did he do to deserve this? He was fifteen years old. He was too young to be having to feel this kind of pain.

"Vicki's dead. She's dead," Jeremy said next to my ear.

Another round of sobs took over me, "I'm so sorry. I- I tried to help her. I did. But-" I couldn't say anymore. I couldn't stop crying.

"She was trying to kill you and Elena." Jeremy said, "But, she still didn't deserve to -to-" He started to cry again too. "Why does everybody have to die on me."

"Jeremy. I'm sorry." I whispered. First mom, dad, and now Vicki. There was just no end to his pain, was there. "I really don't want to leave you, but I need to check on Elena."

Jeremy just nodded silently. He was staring ahead of him, as if there was something out there he was focusing on. But I knew there was nothing. He was just trying to cope with the pain.

I left his room, feeling like the worst sister ever. But, I really did need to see if Elena was alright. She wasn't.

She was no longer unconscious, and her position was practically identical to Jer's. There was blood on her white dress, but no wound. She wasn't crying. Instead, she stared at the wall beside the door as if she'd just seen a ghost. She shook violently, and a look of pure fear covered her features once I stepped into the room.

"Get away from me." She bit out.

"Elena... I'm just here to-" I said, stepping closer to her, but then she cut me off.

She staggered back, further to the head of her bed, as she said, "I said, get away from me. Don't touch me."

My heart sunk. How could this happen? Both my siblings were scarred mentally. Who knew how long it would take before they could get over the pain and shock. I needed to talk to Stefan. I knew it was wrong, but they couldn't go on living this way. Elena looked as if she were a second from grabbing her bedside lamp and flinging it at me. Her look was one of a predator.

I slowly back away from her room, and walked down the stairs. Stefan was sitting on the bench again when I got back onto the porch. There were tears in his eyes. "You okay?" I asked him, brokenly.

"I should be asking you the same thing." He got up and walked towards me. After looking at my wounds, his face transformed. He held up his wrist, and bit into it, offering me his blood. I looked up at him in question, and he nodded in confirmation.

I took his wrist, and let the blood flow into my mouth. It tasted good. Like sweet wine, but with a twinge of coppery taste. It still tasted amazing to me. I felt the pain go away, and I reluctantly let go of his arm. "Thank you,"

"Your welcome," He said. "I - I wanted to help her." He was referring to Vicki. "But instead... How're they doing."

"I- I don't know." I replied honestly. How did I know how Jeremy and Elena were doing. Terrible; heartbroken; angry; sad; a mess. Yep, that doesn't even begin to cover it. "They shouldn't be going through any more pain. Jer's just a kid, and Elena was beginning to have some fun. And - I - I-"

"I'll do anything, to help." Stefan said, "What can I do?"

I wasn't sure he could do anything. "I just wish they could forget." I told him. "I know that it's wrong, and that they should be able to choose what they want to do, but- He's only fifteen years old. Elena's in some sort of shock, because she's definitely not acting okay. And I know that you can't do it, because of the animal blood. But, really, I just want them to forget. I want them to be able to live their lives without the sorrow and horror of what they've been through. To be able to finally be happy..."

I trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Stefan stared at me. It was obvious that he wanted to help me and my family. But he didn't know how. He couldn't risk taking human blood, for fear of not being able to control his hunger.

Then, a voice behind me said, "I can do it." I turned around, and saw Damon. He stepped onto my porch, as he looked into my eyes. "If this is what you want... I'll do it."

I knew Damon cared. Stefan was standing behind me, his expression unreadable. I didn't have to ponder long over my answer.

I nodded, "It's what I want." My siblings deserved a better life. Not one filled with vampires and death. They deserved to be happy.

"What do you want them to know?" Damon asked me.

"For Jeremy, tell him that Vicki left town, and she's not coming back. That he shouldn't look for her or worry about her. He's gonna miss her, of course, but he knows it's for the best."

Damon nodded.

I hesitated first, and then continued, "Tell Elena... that she went to the Halloween party, and that she had fun. There were no vampires, except for the ones in costumes. She had fun, watching me wear this," I gestured to my outfit, and Damon smiled, "And she got to be happy. She knows that Vicki has left town, but she doesn't worry about that either."

Damon nodded and went inside. Gosh, I hoped this worked. I couldn't bear to see my sister and brother like that ever again. It hurt more than any pain I could ever receive.

I sat beside Stefan, and allowed him to place his arms around me. I rested against his chest, finding comfort in him. "Do you wish to forget too?" Stefan asked me softly.

Yes, actually, I wanted to forget. To forget Vicki's death. Now that she's dead, how is Matt gonna cope? I mean, he wouldn't know that she was actually dead, but he would never see her again. And I've been through that pain. The pain of knowing when you'll never see a loved one ever again.

"Sometimes, I do," I told Stefan, truthfully, "But... what I feel for you, I could never wish to forget this." I looked up into his eyes. Stefan still looked like he was in grief, but he bent to kiss me. The electricity made me feel better, as if he were healing me with his touch.

I heard the front door open, and I broke out of the kiss to see Damon back on the porch. "It's done," He said. He looked a bit hurt by the kiss between me and Stefan, but I ignored it. I had many other things to worry about. I stood up, and walked towards him.

I stopped a few feet away, and said, "Thank you. What you did... that was kind of you. So thank you."

Damon looked at me surprised, as if he didn't believe what I had just said, "You're welcome," He finally said.

I nodded, and smiled slightly. I turned to see Stefan's questioning look. "Goodnight, Stefan," I said to him. I had no idea why, but I felt weird saying more to Stefan with Damon there, "I'll see you later." I turned to Damon, "Goodnight, Damon."

I walked back into my house, leaving the two brothers. I felt a bit more relieved, knowing that hopefully Jeremy and Elena were okay.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Stefan and Damon stared at each other from Ariana's porch. There was more going on between Damon and Ariana that Stefan wanted to admit.

Damon didn't like how Stefan had Ariana. Because, he himself secretly wanted her. The reason he had done what he did was because he couldn't bear to see Ariana in so much pain. But, it was that sort of humanity, that he wished he didn't have. But he did, and Ariana knew it.

Hopefully, once Katherine was out of the tomb, he'd be able to forget Ariana. But, even he thought of it as unlikely...


	9. 162 Candles

**162 CANDLES**

Lexi and Stefan were in Stefan were kidding in his room. Lexi had arrived at the boarding house for Stefan's 162nd birthday. Dang, he was old. Then, Stefan warned Lexi to be careful while staying in Mystic Falls.

"Why stay?" Lexi asked him, "I'm headed to New York for the weekend. Bon Jovi in the Garden. "Wanted dead or alive", it's our theme song. It'll be a blast." Lexi hopped off the bed, excitedly.

"Do you think he would actually remember us?" Stefan asked, as he smiled at his best friend. He and Lexi went _way _back, to where they first met right after he was turned into a vampire. "That was a pretty crazy weekend, huh?"

"We can _make _him remember us." Lexi wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Come on! Let's go. I mean, what's keeping you here?"

"I told you, her name is Ariana," Stefan explained to her.

"Let's hope she's better than the last girl you got all sprung over." Lexi went over to a table in Stefan's room, and held up the old picture of Katherine.

Stefan smirked and walked over to her, snatching the photo out of her hands, "You didn't even know Katherine." He stated.

"'Cause if I did I'd kick her ass." Lexi said, "Little bitch. Speaking of..." she looked distracted, "Where's Damon?"

"Inflicting misery somewhere." Stefan replied, "You gonna be okay here alone? 'Cause I got some things I gotta take care of." Like, explaining to the town's police where Vicki had gone off to.

"It's not exactly like I can go anywhere," The blonde complained, flinging her arms out, exasperated. "And you and Damon are the only ones with these nifty little daylight rings." She held up her hand, to show off her ring. "I have a mood ring from '75! Trade ya?"

Stefan smiled, and shook his head. "Doesn't work that way and you know it." Rings were spelled so that the person it's spelled to is the only one who can make the ring work.

"Yeah," Lexi agreed.

"Hey, Lex. I'm really glad you came here." Stefan told Lexi.

"What are we doing for your birthday?" Lexi asked him, teasing. "It's not everyday a guy turns a hundred and sixty-two years old.

Stefan groaned, "Really?"

"Oh yeah," Lexi grinned mischievously.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Sheriff Forbes - Caroline's mother - questioned Jeremy, Elena, Matt, Stefan, and I. She asked the same questions any other sheriff would ask: _Where did Vicki says she was going? What was her behavior like those last few days before she left? Any signs of aggression or violence? Do you believe Vicki really has left town?_

I tried answering the questions as best as I could without giving away any information that would suggest Vicki hadn't really left town. They couldn't know the truth. Nobody could, besides the ones who already knew.

After the questioning, Jenna, Jeremy, Elena, and I walked out of the police station. I was walking down the stairs, when I saw Stefan there, waiting for me.

To my family, I said, "I'll meet you guys in the car."

"Okay," Jenna said. Elena gave me a knowing smirk, while Jeremy just looked bored.

Once they started walking away, I turned to Stefan. He smiled and said, "Hey,"

"Hey," I smiled back, walking up to him. "Jeremy and Elena had no memory of what happened, so... I'm pretty sure the Sheriff didn't suspect anything."

He nodded. "That's good," he said.

"Yeah..." I said. I tried to smile, but I just couldn't do it.

"Hey," Stefan said, as he hugged me. I closed my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Stefan. It's just hard. Vicki's never coming back, and that's all I think about every time I look at Matt or Jeremy. People die... and... it's just a lot to take in..." No. I was not going to cry. That's all I'm ever doing, and I was sick of it. I needed to be stronger, for Jeremy and Elena. I needed to be their sister.

Stefan tilted my head up with his finger. I met his soft green eyes, "Why don't we go somewhere and talk about it." He suggested. It was a tempting, I admit. But, I needed to make sure that Jeremy and Elena were okay before I could do anything else.

I shook my head, "I'm sorry. I just need to... I feel..."

"Hey, hey, hey." Stefan said, "I understand. If you change your mind, just call."

I smiled then, "Thank you, Stefan."

"I hope to see you later."

"Me too," I agreed.

* * *

After getting home, we each went to our own separate rooms. About an hour later, I came back into the living room, to find Jenna on the couch, and Elena next to her. Elena was on her phone, playing a game or whatever, while Jenna looked tried and kinda sad.

"You okay, Aunt Jenna," I said to her, "You look sad."

"Yeah, well, I got dumped." She said as an answer. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Jenna was dating Logan again. I wonder what happened to him?

I sat down next to Jenna on the couch, and said, "Well, then he's a jerk. Because you're one of the most amazing people I've ever met." I smiled reassuring at her.

"Thank you." She said, then her look turned cynical, "You're also right about the 'jerk' part. He gave me a brush-off e-mail saying: 'I'm leaving town. See ya.'"

Before I could answer to her, Jeremy's voice said from the kitchen, "Wanna keep it down over there?"

"Why?" Jenna said, turning around, "What are you doing?"

"Homework," he answered. That was enough to make me turn around and stare at my brother in shock. Even Elena stopped playing with her home.

"Since when do _you _do homework?" She asked, pointing her index finger at him.

Jeremy was sitting on the high stool, vigorously writing. I still didn't get over it. He was doing _homework_?

"I gotta finish this." He said, not taking his eyes off of the paper, "I'm way behind and I have a quiz tomorrow so..."

Us three girls looked at each other, surprised. Jeremy didn't care about school. Since the accident, he never did. What brought this on? At least Jeremy was actually taking school seriously. That was good. But, it was kinda freaking me out.

"What do you guys think? Alien?" Elena asked, speaking my thoughts.

"Some sort of replicant." Jenna breathed, eyeing Jeremy.

"I'm not even gonna guess, because I'm not sure that I wanna know." I said, truthfully.

"He can hear you." Jeremy said, giving us a 'u girls are crazy' look. I shared a look with Jenna. But unlike her, she didn't know why Jeremy was acting this way. I did. It must have been Damon. I had asked him to take away memories of Jeremy, and I guess that may have messed with him a bit. _Great. _Other than that, Jeremy seemed fine. Not exactly happy, but he wasn't all broody like he usually is. And why wasn't Elena acting strange? Oh, right, Elena's been acting the same way for seventeen years.

Damn it, I need to go ask Damon about what he did to my brother.

* * *

After that, I went back up to my room. I was tying my hair into a high ponytail - I know, I was seriously bored - when I heard a knock on my door. It clicked open, and I smiled when I saw who it was.

"Oh, my gosh. Bonnie!" I said, and she laughed as I hugged her.

"What's up with you?" She asked me. "We talked on the phone, like, this morning."

"I know, just, with Vicki leaving and everything, I'm just trying to find a distraction." I half-lied, "And what better than my best friend."

She smirked and questioned, "You need a distraction, huh?" I nodded. She then moved to my open window, and closed it. She came back over to me, grabbed my hand, and we plopped down onto my soft bed. Grabbing my letter opener from my bedside table, she picked up one of my pillows. With one quick movement, my pillow was suddenly slashed and white feathers were dumped all over me.

"Bonnie!" I said, surprised. What the heck was she doing, and was it really necessary to kill one of my pillows?

"Hold on!" She told me. Okay... "I need to swear you to secrecy."

"Okay, I swear." It's not like things could get any worse. Anyways, I never tell a secret, well, not voluntarily.

"There's no windows open, right?"

"Nope,"

"No fan, no air conditioning?" She asked me.

"None." I was getting all jittery. I had a feeling I knew what she was about to show me.

"Remember last time, when... I kinda set a car on fire?" She asked, uncomfortable. Yep, I knew what she was about to show me. I just hope nothing caught on fire, because I remember the "car incident". Bonnie continued, "Well, Grams just showed me this new trick. You're gonna love it."

I hope I would. Bonnie hovered her hand over the feathers, and slowly moved her hand upward through the air. My eyes widened as I saw one of the feathers float right below her hand. She lowered it, and the feather fell back onto the rest of them. Then, using both hands, she made about ten feathers float. I was amazed. Wow, this was... amazing. I gasped, as suddenly, all of the feathers started circling around us. They were like snowflakes caught in a windstorm. It was... beautiful.

"It's true," Bonnie said to me, as I continued to look at the soft feathers in awe, "Everything my Grams told me. It's impossible and it's true. I'm a witch. All those weird things that have been happening to me, well, I finally have an explanation."

I nodded at her, smiling. "I believe you. I've actually believed you for a while now. Thank you for telling me."

"Your welcome," Her eyes were twinkling. It was obvious that she was having fun with magic. Wow. My best friend really was a witch. All I could think about, was how awesome this distraction was.

* * *

"It's weird, huh?" Bonnie said, "After all this time, joking about being psychic. I really am a witch. You don't think I'm a freak now, do you?"

"Of course not," I said confused, "You know me, I barely ever judge. But if your Grams asked you to keep all this a secret, why did you tell me?"

"You're my best friend. I can't keep secrets from you." I felt guilty. Here Bonnie was, telling me everything, while I was keeping secrets from her. Many secrets. Should I tell her? No. I couldn't. I promised Stefan, and I was going to keep that promise. I tried to smile.

* * *

I decided to go visit Stefan. After all, he was my boyfriend. And just because I was a little shaken by what happened with Vicki, that didn't mean I wasn't still totally into him.

I approached the huge dark wood door, and knocked on it. But when I heard the voice telling me to come in, I definitely didn't expect it to be a girl's voice.

"It's open! Come on in." She said. Confused, I pushed open the door and stepped into the familiar hallway. When I turned the corner to the next hallway, my eyes widened. There was definitely a girl here. She was tall, with long blonde hair which was obviously dyed, and tan skin. The most... shocking thing, was that there was a towel wrapped around her body. Just a towel.

"Oh My God!" She said to me, as if _my _presence surprised her. "How... How...Who?"

Um... Okay. "I'm Ariana." I introduced. "May I ask... who are you?" I was feeling a bit hurt. Stefan had a girl over, who was in a towel. Yeah, I was feeling probably more than _a bit _hurt.

"Lexi, a friend of Stefan's." The girl answered. She was still looking at me in a way that suggested she couldn't believe I was standing there. Well, I could say the same thing about her. Not to be rude... or anything.

"Is he here?" I asked her.

She pointed her thumb over her shoulder, and said, "He's in the shower. Do you want to wait?" He was in the shower? With, a girl? Now, I was definitely hurt. No questions asked. And anyways, I wasn't doing to wait here for him. That would be really awkward, and it kinda seemed a bit crazy, as if I couldn't wait to go interrogate him. I guess I'd just have to get the answers from him later.

"That's okay." I told her.

"I'll tell him you stopped by." She said. She seemed like a nice girl, but why was she here with Stefan? I almost told her to not bother.

"It's fine." I said, "I'll just... call him later... or something." Giving her an awkward wave, I left the boarding house. By the time I got home, I almost started to cry... again. There must have been some sort of explanation. Stefan would never cheat on me, I knew it. Maybe she was one of Damon's many girlfriends. In that case, I felt sorry for her.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Lexi walked back into Stefan's room, furious and frustrated. Stefan was putting on a shirt, when Lexi stomped over to him, "Are you out of your _freaking _mind?"

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked.

Lexi took ahold of Katherine's photo from the near table, and said, "I just met Ariana. You have some serious explaining to do."

Stefan sighed. _Great. Wait till she finds out that Ariana has a twin sister. Though, they are different, _Stefan thought.

* * *

After Lexi and Stefan got dressed, Lexi started applying makeup, sitting his bed. "You have some serious emotional damage." She told Stefan.

"No, it's not what you think." He said, "She's not Katherine." Not by a long shot.

"Then they're related, 'cause they can be twins." Lexi stated.

"Ariana has a twin sister, Elena, actually." Stefan said. Lexi mouth popped open, but before she could say anything, Stefan continued, "But they're nothing alike. They may look almost exactly the same, but their personalities couldn't be farther apart."

"So, Ariana's not a raging Bitch then, huh?" Lexi asked him.

"No." Stefan replied. He sat down on the chair next to his bed. He got a faraway look, as he said, "Ariana is... Ariana's _warm_ and she's ... she's _kind, _and she's caring, and she's selfless, and it's real... and honestly when I'm around her... I- I completely forget what I am."

"_Oh My God!" _Lexi exclaimed, "You're in love with her."

"Yeah, I definitely am." Stefan said.

"Now feel bad for letting her go," Lexi said to Stefan, "She looked upset, but that was probably because I was in a towel."

Stefan shook his head, "I'm gonna go talk to her, sort things out."

"Yeah, you go do that." Lexi went back to applying her makeup, "Oh! Maybe she can come to Damon's party today. You guys can have fun, while I make sure he doesn't get within ten meters of her." She smiled mischievously.

Stefan smiled, "It is strange." He said, "Though Ariana's nothing like Katherine, Damon seems to be... drawn to her."

"Well, yeah." Lexi said, in a 'duh' voice, "She looks identical to Katherine."

"No," Stefan insisted, "Damon acts like a better person around her. He apologizes, and-" he got cut off.

"He apologized!" Lexi clamped her eyeshadow compact closed, shocked. Stefan nodded his head. "Well, then. I'm definitely meeting her. Hurry up, and talk to her. I expect to see you at the Grill in no less than ten minutes."

"Yes, ma'am." Stefan walked to his car, and tried to anticipate his next ten minutes.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

I was still sulking when I heard the doorbell rang. I had a feeling on who it was. Opening my front door, I saw Stefan standing there. I smiled slightly.

"Hey," He said.

"Hey,"

"Lexi said you came by," Stefan started. "And, I think you might've interpreted her presence there as something more than there really is. She 350 years old." Oh, so Lexi was a vampire. "She's my oldest friend. _Nothing _romantic. _Ever."_

It was a relief to hear that. I smiled, and nodded. "That's good. She seemed nice, and if she makes you happy, then I'm definitely okay with it." Stefan said that they were just friends, and I knew what it was like to have best friends of the opposite gender. I had many friends at school that were boys, so it took forever before Matt got used to it. I'd rather not wait for forever, and if Stefan said that Lexi was just his friend, then I believed it.

But it was weird that Lexi kept staring at me like I was a gigantic talking rubber ducky, or something.

Stefan smiled and nodded, "She comes to visit me on my birthday."

My mouth popped open, and I said, "Congratulations!" I hugged him, and I felt better instantly. "How old are you?" I tried asking politely.

"You really want to know?" Stefan looked a bit embarrassed.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I said quickly. I could probably figure it out with math anyways. "I won't judge, promise."

He smiled, "I'm 162 years old."

"Mmm," I teased him, "Aren't you a little too old for me."

He shrugged, "Yes. But you're mature for your age, so I think it evens us out." I laughed. If he thought _I _was mature, then he hasn't met himself. He asked, "Was there an important reason you came by today."

I shook my head, and smiled, "Not really. I just wanted to come see you."

"Well," He said, "Sorry I couldn't be there earlier, I was getting ready for the party."

I laughed, "You mean the one that Caroline's throwing?" She had texted me earlier, telling me to meet her and Bonnie there. I didn't know that Stefan was into those kinds of parties.

"Well, it is my birthday, and Lexi's dragging me there." He said, "So how about I drive you there?"

"You sure?" I asked him, "You said you only get to see Lexi on your birthdays. Maybe, for today, you should spend more time with her." I didn't say it in a rude way. I really did believe that he should spend time with his friend who he only gets to see once a year.

"I would love it, if you were to join me." He said to me. His eyes made me give in.

"Alright then, let me just grab my jacket." I told him, "I'll be right back."

* * *

When Stefan and I entered the Grill, there were a lot of people there, age ranging from about fifteen to their mid-twenties. I saw Matt pass by us. He gave me a "hi" look, but he ignored Stefan. I guess he was still mad and upset about Vicki "leaving".

"Matt, just hear me out please." Stefan called out to him, making Matt stop. "I was trying to help Vicki. I went through something similar once, I'm really sorry,"

Matt gave him a long look, then shrugged, "Don't be. It's not the first time she's run off. Turns out Vicki's just like our mother; I can't count on either of them. Thanks for trying."

I felt bad for Matt. I was lying to him too, I sighed. The girls in his life were just walking out on him, including me... I couldn't help but feel partly responsible. He looked at me, and said, "See you around, Ariana." Then he walked away. Stefan and I shared a sad look. Oh, Matt...

Then, Lexi came up to us. She smiled at me, and said, "Hey, Ariana. You enjoying the party?" She was wearing a black dress, with dark makeup on. She almost looked goth. How did she know my name? Oh, right, Stefan must have told her. She was so cheerful, and it was hard to even think about not liking her.

"So far, yes." I smiled too.

I thought I saw Lexi wink at Stefan, but it was so fast that I couldn't tell. It was obvious that Lexi and Stefan were no more than friends. I had no idea why, but it just seemed that way.

I felt bad for trying to ruin their time together, since they only had today, so I said, "I'm gonna go find Bonnie and Caroline, see you guys later."

Stefan and Lexi looked at me confused. "Won't you join us in a game of pool?" Lexi asked me. She really was friendly, but again, I wanted them to spend time together.

"Um... yeah, sure." I said lamely, "After I say hello to my friends, okay?"

They just nodded at me. Wow, what a great first impression. Or, I guess, second impression. Damn, Lexi must've thought I didn't like her or something. I almost face-palmed myself as I walked over to the bar.

* * *

I probably shouldn't have flirted with the bartender, because now, after what I think was three shots of tequila, I was almost wobbling from place to place. I never ever got drunk. Never. I don't know what made me do it, but I was feeling different. I felt good though. As I stumbled into a chair, watching Stefan and Lexi laugh, I heard someone come up from behind me.

"Stefan smiles. Alert the media." It was Damon, and I groaned as he asked, "Are you drunk?"

"Probably," I said indifferently, "And Stefan does smile."

"Only around you." Damon smirked. Then, it faded as he asked me seriously, "You need me to take you home?"

I looked at him for a few seconds, then shook my head, "No, I'm fine. I'm sure it'll pass in... i don't know." He chuckled, amused. Then, I asked, "Remember when you took away some of Jeremy's memories?" He nodded, "Did you do something else? He's acting a little different."

"You asked me to take away his memory of fangs and all the bad stuff." He smirked, and shrugged, "I took away his suffering, Ariana."

I sighed, "I know. I'm still grateful that you did that. It just feels wrong, but thank you."

Damon said, "You're doing him a favor. No more 'bad boy' things, right?"

I smirked, "Yeah, says the 'bad boy'." Jeremy's old behavior was angelic compared to Damon's. God, I really was drunk.

He smiled at me. Then, another song in the Grill came on, and he held out his hand. "Wanna dance?"

I raised my eyebrows, and asked, "With the drunk girl?"

He said, "I'll make sure you don't fall." Before I could give him an answer - which would have probably been a "yes" - a voice sounded behind me.

"Don't you have other people's lives to ruin." Damon and I turned around, it was Lexi, who was glaring at Damon. I looked back to where she was previously playing pool with Stefan, to see him staring at us in anger and worry.

Damon put his hands up in surrender, "I was just asking for a dance."

"Yeah, well she doesn't want to dance with you." Lexi stated. So much for the friendly part. But, knowing Damon, he must have done something to piss her off before, so her attitude was understandable. I guess since she was friends with Stefan, she was trying to look out for me. I had no doubt that she was hearing about Damon's recent "deeds".

"I'm sure that's not true," Damon smirked at me, "But, since Stefan over there seems to be a second away from exposing us," He jerked his head at Stefan, "I'll see you later, Ariana." With one last glare at Lexi, Damon walked away.

I sighed, and turned to face Lexi. "Hey," she said to me, "Sorry 'bout that, but, being drunk around Damon," she shook her head, "Not a good idea."

I nodded, wearily, too lazy to argue, "I'm never drunk. I think this is my first time, and... it's sort of weird."

She shrugged, and smirked, "You get used to it. I did." I laughed. Then, Lexi said, "Go join Stefan, he's lonely without a partner."

"But this is your day, you should be the one to celebrate his birthday with him." I retorted.

She smiled at me, "Stefan's right. You are selfless." Stefan called me selfless? I smiled. "But, now that I see you drunk, I wanna get drunk, so..." She held up a couple of shots in her hands. How did I not notice those before? My senses were kinda screwed up. Lexi patted my shoulder, "Go get 'em girl."

I laughed and said, "Thanks." She and I were going to be good friends. I left Lexi, and concentrated on not tripping as I made my way over to Stefan. "Hey," I said.

Stefan still looked worried, but he smiled, "Hey. You okay?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm okay. Probably shouldn't drink next time. So," I smirked, "Let's play some pool."

Stefan laughed, "Are you sure you're up for it?"

"I've beaten Matt before, and he's practically champion."

He handed me a pretty blue cue stick. "Game on." He said.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

"All right the shots are a bribe." Lexi said, as she placed the alcohol in front of Damon, and stared at him squarely, "I need you to answer a few questions. What are you really doing in Mystic Falls?"

Damon merely looked at her from the corner of his eyes. He tried to change the subject, "Have you tried The Brittle? It wins awards."

"Cut the crap."

"Okay," Damon leaned closer, pretending to be secretive, "I have a diabolical master plan."

"What is it?" Lexi asked.

"If I told you, then it wouldn't be very _diabolical, _now would it?" Damon rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Fine," Lexi said, "Then answer me this. What're you trying to pull with Ariana?"

"What do you mean?" Damon questioned.

"Don't pretend you don't know." Lexi glared at him, "I see the way you look at her. You can't do this again with Stefan. She is _not _Katherine."

"Don't you think I know that!" Damon whisper-yelled. "She's all the good parts, and none of the bad. I'll be damned if she ever sees me as anything other than her vampire boyfriend's brother."

Both Damon and Lexi were surprised by his mini-outburst. Lexi's gaze actually softened. "You're in love with her too, aren't you?" Lexi had only known Ariana for a few hours, and she already knew how kind a person she was. Damon was surrounded by darkness, so he would automatically be attracted to Ariana's light.

Damon didn't say anything. He took one of Lexi's shots, and downed it.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Stefan and I laughed while we played pool. After drinking some water, I felt less woozy. I was about to take my shot, when Stefan suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my god!" I looked up, and followed Stefan's gaze to where Caroline's mom and a few other deputies were carrying away a weak looking Lexi. I gasped. They must've given her vervain. But how did they know she was a vampire? "You should stay here." Stefan told me as he started heading towards the Grill doors, where the deputies had just exited through.

"I'll come with you."

"It's too dangerous." Stefan told me. I grabbed his hand.

"Let me come with you. I wanna know who did this." I said. How could they take Lexi? Stefan obviously really cared for her, and she was a good person. They couldn't kill her.

Stefan nodded, warily. "Okay," he said, "Be careful." I followed Stefan as we headed outside. The cold air hit me like a ton of bricks. It had that strange eerie feeling. Like the one people get when a storm's coming, or when something bad's about to happen. Stefan and I were just turning the corner of the brick building, when I let out a frightened gasp. No!

Lexi had a stake sticking through her heart, and Damon was the one who put it there. Stefan grabbed me, and held me against him, as he tried quieting my shocked cries. I saw Lexi, once who was so beautiful, become grey, and fall to the ground, dead. How could he?! How could Damon do this? To Lexi, to Stefan?! His own brother. How?

* * *

I followed Stefan as he fast-walked back to the parking lot. I had to half-jog to keep up with him. Anger, pain, and horror radiated off Stefan like the sun radiates heat.

"Stefan," I said softly. I was trying to calm him down. I was feeling all the emotions then that he was too. Lexi, a girl whom I just met, was dead. And I felt terrible about it.

"He killed her!" He shouted, "He killed Zach; he killed Tanner; he turned Vicki; I have to kill him!"

I winced, and told him, "You can't do that!" As much as I hated Damon right then and there, Stefan wouldn't be able to handle the pain if he were to kill his _own _brother.

"Why are you trying to save him?!" He turned to me. His face was so angry, that I almost flinched away from him. "Ariana, he's never gonna change! No matter what you feel for him. He's never gonna change!"

"What do you mean by 'what I feel for him'?" I asked him. Was he suggesting that I had ... _feelings _for Damon? Sure, he was hot, but I couldn't forget all of the bad things that he did. All of the people he's killed. And anyways, I was crazy for Stefan, not his older brother.

"Don't lie, Ariana." Stefan's jaw clenched.

"I'm not lying!" I said, exasperated. Did Stefan really believe that? After all we've been through together? "Look. I'm not trying to save him, I'm trying to save _you! _You have no idea what this'll do to you, Stefan. He's your brother, killing him... you won't be able to handle it."

No matter how many times times Elena and Jeremy piss me off, I could never hurt them.

"Everywhere I've been, pain and death follow; Damon follows me," His voice lowered, "No more."

"Stefan, hey," I ran up to him, and pulled on his arm until he turned around. I placed my hands on his face, and he closed his eyes. "Let me be here for you. You can talk to me, Stefan. I care about you, a lot." Maybe even more than just that.

In a fast move, he wrapped his arms around my waist, and kissed me. I could feel all his frustration and anger, burning into passion as I wrapped my own arms around his neck. The electricity made me shiver in pleasure. But suddenly, he pulled away. Looking into my eyes, he said, "I love you, Ariana." My heart beat sped up, pounding against my chest. I felt like it was going to burst, "So much. But..." he shook his head, "I can't take the risk that he'd hurt you. He'll just keep killing, and eventually, you'll break." His fingers made a line from my temple, to my jaw line. "I'm sorry," He whispered, and then he was gone.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Damon was in the boarding house, drinking bourbon. Stefan appeared like a ghost, hidden in the darkness. "Told you I'd take care of it." Damon said. Stefan blurred over to him, and threw him into the nearby bookcase. Grabbing ahold of his brother, Stefan punched him repeatedly in the jaw. Damon threw Stefan off of him, and took a defensive stance. Both their expressions were of anger, and pain. Stefan suddenly struck at Damon, pinning him to the wall. "Come on, I did this for you." Damon said, "To get them off our trail."

"You never do anything for anyone but yourself." Stefan retorted. Grabbing a stake out of his back pocket, he stabbed Damon's torso.

Damon was shocked. Stefan missed his heart by a fraction of an inch, "You missed!"

"No," Stefan said, "Ariana wouldn't like it much if I were to kill you. So I'm sparing your life. We're done." Stefan let Damon go, and the older brother fell to the ground. Even if Ariana didn't admit it, Stefan knew that if he were to kill his brother, Ariana would be upset. He didn't need to screw up her life anymore than he already had.

* * *

**So sad! Lexi died. Stefan and Ariana... **

**Anyways, thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing! **

**In reply to one of my reviewers, Elena will be playing a part in my story, but it probably won't be as big as a part until later. Thank you for your opinions!**

**-Spiralcloud**


	10. History Repeating

**HISTORY REPEATING**

**Ariana POV:**

I was hurt. I was sad. I was frustrated. Angry. Annoyed. Despondent... I could go on for ages. But, I had school today. So, I just had to suck it up, and get ready for school.

I felt like Stefan was breaking up with me. Killing his brother would be unbearable for him, and I didn't want him to be stuck with that grief. I felt responsible for my parent's deaths, and I wasn't even the one to directly kill them.

Groaning and sighing, I wore a dark blue halter top, black shorts, black high-heeled shoes, and silver jewelry. I kept my hair loose, and out of the way with the clip Bonnie gave me.

* * *

Caroline and I were walking to school together. Jenna had drove Elena and Jeremy to school earlier, because Jeremy had to catch up on his studies. I simply wanted to walk. And with Caroline, there is never a time where there's no talking.

I was worried about Bonnie. I tried calling her, but she wouldn't pick up. None of my texts were returned. "Have you talked to Bonnie?" I asked Caroline.

Her face scrunched up, "No, I'm mad at her. She needs to make the first move." Apparently, Bonnie and Caroline were arguing over a necklace. My first thought was, _really, a necklace_? But, there may be a deeper meaning to it.

"Come on," I told Caroline, "She's your best friend."

"Yeah, well, she sure doesn't act like it." Caroline said annoyed.

"Why are you so pissed at her anyway?" I asked Caroline. It was a necklace, for God's sake, not a billion dollars... unless it was worth that much.

"She's a thief. That's why." Caroline seethed, "I gave her my necklace, and she refuses to give it back. It's a matter of principle."

Yeah, but, usually when you give someone something, it's for them to keep, not give back. "All right." I said, giving up, "I'll leave it to you two to sort it out."

"Good," Caroline brightened, "Your turn. Where's Stefan?"

I groaned, and gave her a look.

"Have you talked to him?" She asked.

"He's avoiding me." I tried to call Stefan too, but it always went straight to voicemail.

"Why?" Caroline asked. Well, where do I begin? How could I tell her it was because he was a vampire, and that his vampire brother had killed his vampire 350 year old best friend, and that the last time I saw him, he was about to kill Damon. Yeah, that wouldn't go well.

"Um... it's complicated," I avoided her question, then, the bell rang."I'll see you later."

"Bye," Caroline's puzzled face disappeared through the emerging crowd as we separated, walking to our own classes.

* * *

When I got to History, I quickened my pace, and hurried to my seat. I saw Bonnie fast-walk in, head down, with a look of fear on her face. Her books were up to her chin.

She took a seat near the back, and I craned my neck as I mouthed to her, Are y_ou okay?_

She gave a slight shrug that I almost missed. I wondered what had gotten her so scared, perhaps it was the whole new "witch" thing she's been learning from her Grams. Either way, I hoped that she'd get better.

I looked to the empty seat beside me, and my heart sunk. Stefan didn't show up.

I turned back around in my chair, to face the front, when a guy walked in. It was obvious he wasn't a student, since he looked to be in his late twenties. He had sandy colored hair and blue-grey eyes. In his hands was a briefcase, and it all finally added up once I saw him place it next to the teacher's desk. Damn, he was pretty hot for a teacher. He briskly took a white piece of chalk, and wrote on the blackboard;

_Alaric Saltzman_

Hmm, strange name.

"Alaric Saltzman," The man spoke, his voice was friendly, "It's a mouthful. I know. Doesn't exactly roll off the tounge. Saltzman is of German origins. My family emigrated here in 1755 to Texas. I, however, was born and raised in Boston. Now the name 'Alaric' belongs to a very dead great-grandfather I will never be able to thank enough. You'll probably want to pronounce it 'Al-ler-ric' but it's... "A-lar-ric", okay. So you can call me Rick. I'm your new History teacher." He smiled.

I smiled. He seemed nice enough, he definitely had a better attitude than Tanner. Though, I probably shouldn't think that because... the guy was dead, killed by Damon, actually. As long as Rick wasn't like either of the other men, I think we'd get along fine.

* * *

At lunch, I was finally able to talk to Bonnie. As I thought, her stress was about her becoming a new witch, but it wasn't exactly the story I though it would be. One of her ancestors, Emily, was stalking her - as she'd put it - giving her nightmares and such.

"And then I ended up at the remains of the old Fell's church before I woke up back in the woods." Bonnie explained, looking frightened. I'd be too, if i suddenly had a nightmare, and then woke up in the cemetery.

"And you always see your ancestor, Emily?" I asked her, concerned. Whoever Emily was, she was scaring Bonnie, and I didn't find it very appealing.

"Mhm." Bonnie bobbed her head, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

That was a hard question. Did I? I mean, I didn't ever believe in vampires and witches, yet here they were, right in front of me. So I gave Bonnie a truthful answer, "I don't know,"

Bonnie sighed and stated, "I think I'm being haunted."

"Why are you being haunted by Emily?" I asked Bonnie. What was Emily's connection, besides being Bonnie's ancestor?

"Grams says she was a powerful witch back in the civil war days and that this medallion was hers, a witch's talisman." She fiddled with her necklace. The necklace had a bronze iron setting with a diamond shaped topaz crystal. It was huge, and it looked really old. I personally thought it was pretty, even though Bonnie thought it was ugly. It suited her well too. Did Bonnie say "civil war days"? Wasn't that when Stefan and Damon were turned into vampires?

"So, it all started when you got this necklace?" I asked Bonnie. This subject was seriously getting creepy.

"Yeah," Bonnie confirmed, "I think she's using it to communicate with me."

God, this horror story is getting out of control. Eventually, we're all gonna end up dead. "What does Grams say about it?" I asked her. Surely, Grams could help out Bonnie with her situation, since she was a powerful witch too.

"I can't call her," Bonnie protested, "She's gonna tell me to embrace it, I want it to stop."

I gave Bonnie a sad smile. "You'll figure it out, I'm sure of it." If anybody could do it, it was Bonnie. After all, she was the witch, not me.

* * *

I walked across the grass after school, just looking around at the kids who were hanging out. Some were talking to friends, some were getting into cars, and others were simply sleeping. I giggled. But, I stopped, once I saw who was sitting on the table not too far away from me.

When I got closer to him, Stefan said, "Hi,"

"Hey," I said, "I was worried about you. You weren't in class." For a moment, I thought that he had really killed Damon.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't get back to you, but... what I wanted to say shouldn't be said over the phone," Stefan told me. I got nervous as I processed what he was saying. He was breaking up with me, wasn't he? I knew that he thought this was his way of protecting me, but... I wanted to be with him.

I nodded slowly, "I'm guessing Damon's okay then." Stefan had sadness surrounding him, but it wasn't the profuse guilt that would've been his aura if he _were _to have killed Damon.

"I didn't kill my brother," Stefan confirmed, and I was instantly filled with relief. "As much as he deserved it. He has you to thank for that."

I was glad, Damon was okay, because I was able to convince Stefan not to kill him. Or, at least, that's what Stefan was saying. He probably changed his mind because, well, Damon was his brother. I took a deep breath, and asked, "What did you want to tell me?"

I braced myself, "I won't be coming to school anymore," he said, and I frowned, "I'm gonna back off and keep my distance. It's the right thing to do. You deserve a better life, than what I can give you."

My throat tightened. Was he serious? Why? "Stefan." I said, "Please..." I trailed off.

"It's better this way, Ariana." He said sadly.

I've never met anyone like Stefan, so how could he be doing this to me? After the way we bonded, and how I've known we were perfect for each other. It just wasn't right. The universe was breaking me all over again. I turned my head away from him, unable to look into his eyes.

"Your upset." He stated, "It's easier if you hate me."

"I could never hate you..." I whispered, but I knew he could hear me.

* * *

After the very depressing "visit" from Stefan, Bonnie agreed to drive me home. I'm not sure if I could've handled walking at the moment.

Bonnie was telling me about her encounter with Damon, and how he wanted the necklace she was wearing. What would Damon want the necklace. Oh, yeah, didn't Bonnie say something about it being filled with magic, or something? Damn it, what was that guy up to.

"He's bad new, Ariana." Bonnie glanced at me, trying to keep her eyes on the road, "He really scared me."

"Be careful around him, Bonnie," I said to her, concerned. Damon had killed Stefan's best friend, Lexi, just a couple of days ago. If he had the audacity to do that, he wouldn't think twice about killing Bonnie.

"I'm trying," Bonnie defended, "He just keeps showing up."

"I don't want you to be alone," I told her, "Why don't you come sleep at my place tonight. I could invite Caroline, and then you guys can make up."

Before I'd barely even finished my sentence, Bonnie swiveled the car off the road, giving me bad memories. "Woah!" I said, "Bonnie!"

Bonnie ignored me. Stopping the car, she hopped out, and angrily walked over to the field we had landed in. I saw her rip the "witch" necklace off, and throw it into the field. It disappeared, blending in with the yellow and green tall grass. She looked really pissed off and annoyed as she got back into the driver's seat.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Now I am." She answered, "All my problems were because of that thing. Can't believe I didn't do it sooner."

Her Grams was gonna kill her. "Well, hopefully things will just go back to normal. Emily and Damon will no longer bug you." I said to her, and then sighed. As if things could ever be normal.

"Good," Bonnie replied, as she started the car again. "'Cause being stalked by a creepy guy, and a 150-year-old ghost, can be a lot for a seventeen-year-old teenager."

I laughed. Hopefully, she'll be okay. Throwing away the necklace though, was probably a mistake. Whatever Emily wants from Bonnie, it's something dangerous. Add that to the fact that Damon wants the mystical necklace too, and it just becomes an unpredictable moving labyrinth.

* * *

After talking and spending a few hours with Bonnie at my house, night descended upon us. As weird as I felt for doing it, I had called Stefan. I needed to talk to him about his brother. My heart jumped when I felt a knock on the door. Stefan, as expected, stood on the other side when I opened the door. He looked concerned, as usual. "Hey, thanks for coming. I wouldn't have bothered you unless it was important." I said.

"It was no bother," He said. I smiled a bit, and shut the door behind me, so we both stood on the porch.

* * *

After telling Stefan about the story of "Damon stalking Bonnie", he asked, "What would Damon want with Bonnie?"

"She has a necklace that Caroline had gotten from Damon," I explained, "She gave it to Bonnie, but now, Damon wants it back."

"And all this is over a necklace?" Stefan questioned. I've been asking myself that question all day, but, the necklace was special.

"The necklace has to do with Bonnie's heritage, back in the 'civil war days'... around when you and Damon were turned." I said, a bit unsure, "It belonged to her ancestors during that time."

"Her name was Emily," he said, "She was Katherine's handmaid and a witch." I wasn't entirely surprised that Stefan knew Bonnie was a witch. After all, he did see her set a car on fire using her mind. But, he had known Emily, who was Katherine's handmaid. So what was the connection between Emily, Katherine, and the Salvatore brothers?

"Damon must know too," I said, meaning that Damon knew Bonnie was a witch, and the descendent of Emily. "And now, he wants that necklace." But why did Damon want it? What was Damon's real plan.

"What does it look like?" Stefan asked me.

"It's an antique iron setting... with a ..."

Stefan cut me off, finishing my description, "With an amber crystal. I know it, it belonged to Katherine. Emily gave it to her, which means..." He didn't finish. _What? What did it mean? _I wanted to scream at him, but he then said to me, "You said that Damon was looking for someone." I nodded. He looked thoughtful, as he said, "Let me talk to Damon. I'll get it out of him."

I nodded, even though I hadn't liked what he said. Get it out of him? What did that mean? Please, don't let this give the brothers another chance to kill each other.

* * *

Stefan left after that, to pursue his "mission". Caroline arrived, and Bonnie pretended to ignore her as we started making dinner. The awkwardness while we made food in silence left me to my thoughts. And really, I didn't want to think right now. I had invited my friends over to try and take my mind off the whole "vampire and witch" situation, not create more problems. I gave Caroline a "look". She finally sighed, and turned to Bonnie.

"I'm sorry," Caroline said. She didn't exactly say it in a sincere way, but the message was clear, "There. I said it. If you want the ugly-ass necklace, keep it. It's yours." She smiled. Bonnie and I shared a "oh-oh" look.

Bonnie hesitated, "Will you hate me if I told you I threw it away?"

"You threw it away?" Caroline asked in disbelief.

"I know it sounds crazy," Bonnie said, "But the necklace was giving me nightmares. I had to get rid of it." It would have sounded crazy, if anyone but me were to have heard it. It was more than just nightmares, though. Bonnie was scared, and it had shown.

"You could have just given it back to me." Caroline said angrily.

"Why?" Bonnie asked, speaking my thoughts, "So you could give it back to Damon?"

Caroline stood silent for a moment. She looked at me, and bit out, "Screw Damon." She changed the subject, "Are we doing manicures or what? Who had their kit?" I smiled at how easily Caroline could change attitude.

"Mine's in my bag." Bonnie said, smiling.

Caroline sauntered over to Bonnie's purse, and asked me, "So Ariana. How long do you think this fight with Stefan's gonna last." I almost groaned. Was she seriously asking me this? It wasn't exactly a fight either, more like a very sad disagreement. "Is it... like a permanent thing?"

I rolled my eyes. Caroline was practically asking me whether or not Stefan and I were over for good, so that she could move in on him. "I don't know." I simply said. Then, I asked her a question, "What about you and Elena? You guys still talking?"_  
_

"God, no." Caroline answered, and I frowned. "I barely ever even see her anymore. By the way, where is she?"

"She's with Jenna and Jeremy at the Grill," I replied. Jenna had texted me right after school, telling me that she was taking my siblings out to dinner. She wanted me to come, but, I told her that my friends needed me.

"Why are you such a little liar, Bonnie?" Caroline suddenly said, her words laced with venom.

My mouth popped open. I had no idea what Caroline's reaction was from. "Caroline!" I scolded. In the corner of my eye, I saw Bonnie look a bit hurt.

"What?" Bonnie asked, surprised. Caroline pulled something out of Bonnie's bad, and held it up. I froze. The necklace. The one Bonnie had threw in a field, was right in front of us, dangling from Caroline's fingers.

* * *

Caroline place the crystal necklace on the table, as Bonnie said, "I'm not lying to you, Caroline. I swear." I was shocked, and my eyes were still wide. I was so freaked out that I could barely even stay on my two feet.

"It's true," I confirmed Bonnie's claim, "I watched her throw the necklace into a field."

"Then explain it." Caroline ordered haughtily. Bonnie looked at me, and I nodded understanding.

"Emily," Bonnie spoke.

"Who's Emily?" Caroline asked.

"The ghost." Bonnie said, still looking at me.

"The ghost has a name now?" Caroline mocked rudely. I sighed while Bonnie just ignored her. We had to tell Caroline about Bonnie being a witch, she was our best friend. But, could she keep a secret?

"I wonder why she won't leave me alone." Bonnie said to me.

"What's going on?" Caroline interrupted, "Why am I not a part of this conversation? You guys do this to me all the time."

I didn't know what to say to that. I knew the answer, but it wasn't exactly easy to break the answer to your best friend without offending them.

"I can't talk to you," Bonnie argued, "You don't listen."

"That's not true," Caroline said, believing in herself. She wasn't lying, but Caroline was a person who only listened to the part that she wanted to hear.

"I'm a witch," Bonnie said, putting it out there. I was surprised. I thought that Bonnie wouldn't tell her. But, once Caroline started talking again, I realized what Bonnie was aiming at.

"And don't we all know it." Caroline said, rolling her eyes. She was taking it as a joke, because she didn't realize that Bonnie really was a witch.

"See?" Bonnie said, pointing her palms towards Caroline, "That's what I'm talking about. I'm trying to tell you something." She shook her head, "You don't even here it."

I watched sadly as Bonnie walked out of the room angry. I looked back towards Caroline whose mouth was opening and closing like a fish. "I- I listen," she looked towards me, "When do I not listen?"

I blew out a long breath. I loved Caroline and all, but sometimes she could be utterly clueless.

* * *

I finally convinced Caroline to apologize. When I came back into the living room, I gladly saw that my two best friends were smiling at me and each other. Caroline then spoke up again, "There is just way too much drama in this room. So what do you guys want to do?" Bonnie and I shrugged. "I have an idea. Why don't we have a seance?"

Bonnie and I looked at each other surprised. Really Caroline? Just a while ago she didn't even believe in witches... and I still think that she doesn't.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Bonnie opinionated.

"Come on," Caroline begged, "Let's summon some spirits. This Emily chick has some serious explaining to do." Bonnie sighed, and I giggled.

Oh, well, what could possibly go wrong? Considering I'd been asking myself that question every time someone was about to do something bad, this would probably turn up with the same results. Most of the time, it wasn't a good thing.

* * *

Darkness surrounded us, encaged us. The only light came from the candles in the middle of our circle, illuminating only our faces. I held Bonnie's hand with my left, and Caroline's with my right. I won't lie, it was creepy. "What are we doing?" Bonnie asked, half-bored, half-scared.

I shrugged at her. "Be quiet and concentrate." Caroline commanded, "Close your eyes." I closed my eyes. There wasn't much of a difference in light, whether open or closed. "Now take a deep breath." Mine was exaggerated, "Bonnie. Call to her."

With my eyes still closed, I heard Bonnie speak as if she were having a boring conversation, "Emily, you there?"

Caroline and I both opened our eyes to look at her. I smiled. "Really?" Caroline mocked, "'Emily, you there?' That's all you got?"

"Fine." Bonnie groaned, "Geez." We closed out eyes again. "Emily. I call on you." Her voice was strong. "I know you have a message. I'm here to listen." An eerie feeling entered me, as the cold air felt alert. I felt heat flare up in front of me, and opened my eyes to see the flames three times as big as they were before. I instantly freaked.

"Did that-"

Caroline cut me off. "Yeah. That just happened. Caroline suddenly sucked in a breath through her teeth, and wrapped her arms around herself, as if she felt a chill.

"It's just the air conditioning." Bonnie said, but she didn't sound so sure. Was Emily really here? She was good, right, so why was I so terrified?

"Ask her to show you a sign." Caroline said to Bonnie, who didn't say anything. "Ask her." She said more urgently. Bonnie continued to just stare at us. Caroline sighed. "Emily, if you're among us, show us another sign."

We waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. The candles were still strangely lit, but nothing else was changed. "See?" Bonnie said, looking for an excuse, "It's not working." I wasn't so sure about that.

My thoughts were confirmed once I heard a loud banging sound, and the cold air hit us. My windows suddenly opened! How?

"I can't. I'm done." Bonnie stood up scared, and ripped the necklace off from around her neck, then threw it on the ground beside the candles. The candles went out, and light ceased to exist. "Get the light!" Bonnie was still freaking out, but so were Caroline and I. "Please, get the light on!"

"Hold on." I said, as I scurried over to the light switch by the open door. "I got it." Flipping on the light, it blinded the three of us for a few seconds.

When the white spots finally faded from my vision, I saw Bonnie looking wide-eyed at the candles. "You guys, the necklace, it's gone," she said, tightly. Caroline and I followed her gaze, to see the hardening of the wax on the candles, and nothing more. No necklace.

* * *

"Where is it?" Caroline asked, then she turned to me, "Did you take it."

Really? She thought _I _took it. "No, I didn't." I said, but Caroline wasn't paying attention to me. Her eyes locked on something behind me, outside my bedroom, door to the hallway. From the corner of my eye, I saw it too. A shadow darker than the black of night.

"Jeremy? Elena? Are you guys home?" I questioned into the dark hallway. I tiptoed into the darkness, but it was empty. Not another person in sight.

Suddenly, I heard the door to my bathroom slam shut. Whipping my head around, I ran back into my room, and heard Bonnie banging on the door from the other side. "You guys, open the door!" Bonnie shouted, panicking, "Help me!"

"Bonnie!" I shouted too. Caroline and I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. Bonnie kept on screaming, as if something terrible was happening. "What's going on? Bonnie!" Was Emily doing this?

"Bonnie!" Caroline shouted.

"Try the other door," I told Bonnie, who was still screaming hysterically, "I'll check the hallway." I told Caroline. She nodded, and I ran out to the other entrance of the bathroom. But the door handle there wouldn't either.

"Bonnie!" Caroline screamed, "Bonnie! Unlock the door!"

My heart was beating like a hummingbird's wings. How am I supposed to get Bonnie out? What the hell was happening? The light started flickering, and that only added to my fear. "Bonnie!" I choked, on the brink of bursting into tears. I ran back to Caroline, and that's when the door finally opened.

"Bonnie!" I said, this time happily as she stood in the center of the bathroom, unharmed. She looked so collected though. A moment ago, she was screaming. Now, it was as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "Are you okay." I asked concerned.

"Unbelievable." Caroline stated in disbelief, and shook her head, "You were totally faking it."

"Caroline." I said. Obviously, Bonnie did not fake it. The terror I had heard in her voice was real.

"No, you scared the hell out of me." Caroline glared at Bonnie, huffed, and walked away.

I frowned, and looked back to Bonnie. Her face was expressionless. "Bonnie? You okay?" I asked her, tentatively.

"I'm fine." She said, unemotionally, "Everything's fine." Her voice was Bonnie's, but it was as if someone else were speaking the words. Scary. Bonnie walked past me, and followed Caroline out of my room. What the...? Was she really okay?

* * *

Bonnie walked down the stairs, with me and Caroline in tow. "I can't believe I fell for it." Caroline kept complaining. But I worried more on how Bonnie was so... calm? I didn't even know if that could be the right word.

"Bonnie, are you sure you're okay?" I asked her for the millionth time, yet she gave me a very "not okay" answer.

"I must go," she simply said, not turning back around to face me.

"She's leaving, I'm leaving," Caroline stated, following Bonnie. "I've had enough freaky fake witch stuff for one night." Wow, what a strong supportive person, I thought sarcastically. Did she really just say "fake"? Has she not been witnessing what had happened for the past half hour?

"Thank you for having me. I'll take it from here." Bonnie's monotone voice said.  
I'm going back to where it all began."

Something in me clicked, and I had a gut feeling that it wasn't Bonnie. Emily. "Oh my God. Emily!" I called out to Bonnie... or Emily... or Emily possessing Bonnie...whatever.

She stopped, and turned her glassy gaze on me, "I won't let him have it, it must be destroyed."

I shook my head. What? Bonnie/Emily started walking out the door again, so I called out to her, "Wait!" But she disappeared out the door, slamming it shut. I made my way down the stairs quickly, and tried turning the handle on the wooden door. Just like the bathroom earlier, it wouldn't budge.

"What's happening?" Caroline asked frantically, as she appeared beside me, trying to tug the door open as well. Were we locked in? Was some ghost about to take our bodies as well?

But then, the door opened. Caroline and I shrieked as we saw two other figures on the other side. Relief rushed through me as I realized it was just Jeremy and Elena.

"What the hell?" Elena asked, glaring at us.

"Now I'm definitely outta here." Caroline said, stalking past our three shocked faces. Elena and Jeremy walked into the house, heading upstairs. I sighed, and took out my phone.

Dialing the number, I waited until I heard his familiar voice. "What's wrong?" Stefan asked me, as if he knew I was only calling because of a problem.

Pushing my thoughts to the back of my head, I brought forth the more important matter, "It's Bonnie. Emily possessing her body, or said, 'I won't let him have it, it must be destroyed.' Now, she's gone."

"Where do you think she went?"

"I don't know," I replied honestly. Then I thought about it hard. 1864...Mystic Falls...Stefan and Damon...Katherine...Bonnie's dreams...the church... "Fells church, by the old cemetery, that's where she took Bonnie in her dreams. I have to go find her."

"No," Stefan objected, "Stay there, I'll find her."

"You sure?" I asked him, annoyed at myself. If I didn't want his help, why the hell did I call him in the first place?

"I'm sure. Just stay home, I can find her. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

I sucked at listening to other people. Or at least, I did now. I drove my car over to Fells church, as the night continued to grow uneasy. I parked my car near the woods, and hugged myself as I started jogging the familiar path through the trees. I tried navigating my way through the trees, but it was dark, and the forest looked completely different. But this was for Bonnie, my best friend. And no matter what Stefan said, I would always try to help her.

When I got close enough, I could see it. In front of Fells Church... was fire. But no, it wasn't wild, it circled around a girl. Bonnie. Wait no, Emily. Emily was using her powers to create a veil of fire around her, blocking out Stefan, Damon, and I. The brothers were looking at the fire shocked. Well, Damon looked at Bonnie as if he wanted to kill her. Then, I realized why.

"Incendia!" Emily called, throwing the necklace up into the air.

"No!" Damon cried in anguish, as the necklace broke into a million pieces, like sparks off a rock. When the fire ceased, Damon rushed in.

"No!" I cried, but I was too late. Damon's fangs sinked into Bonnie's neck, and she screamed as he fed off her blood. I guess Emily no longer had possession of Bonnie's body.

I took a stance, ready to bolt to Bonnie, when Stefan beat me to it. He ripped Damon away from Bonnie, flinging him across the soil and grass. Damon's face was a mixture of anger, frustration, and hopelessness. He hurt Bonnie! After giving Damon a look of pity, I sprinted and joined Stefan, whose hands were searching for a pulse on Bonnie's neck.

I sighed in relief when Stefan said, "She's alive, but barely. I can save her." He bit into his own wrist, and lowered his blood onto Bonnie's mouth. She resisted, but not enough for the blood to not make it into her system. Her neck wound closed, leaving behind blood. Stefan pulled his arm back towards his body, as I touched Bonnie's forearm. Looking behind me, I saw Damon give Bonnie a look of disgust.

What was in the necklace that made Damon try to kill Bonnie for destroying it? Whatever the answer was, it seemed to crush Damon. His eyes were tearing up, and I swear that I've never seen him cry before. I could never have imagined it.

* * *

"I don't understand, Ariana." Bonnie was crying to me as we stood by my car. I assumed that Stefan was talking to Damon, since he wasn't in sight. "What happened to me? He attacked me, and... his face was like..."

I knew how she felt. Explaining the features of a vampire filled with bloodlust was kinda like explaining what an invisible cloak looked like. Not really, but the idea's still there.

"How do you feel? Are you okay?" I asked Bonnie. That was a stupid question. Of course she wasn't okay, she just got attacked by a vampire!

"I'm fine," Bonnie sniffled, teary eyed. "It's just this blood." She reached up to touch her neck tenderly, the blood already drying. "I don't..."

She trailed off as her eyes caught something behind me. Turning around, I heard Stefan say to Bonnie, "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Beside me, Bonnie whispered, "What's going on, Ariana?"

I knew what my answer was gonna be, I couldn't lie to her, my best friend, anymore. "I'll explain everything later. Okay? Let's just make sure you're okay first." I looked into her eyes, and she gave a slight nod. Carefully, I led her to my car, making sure she didn't collapse as she sat down in the front seat. After closing the car door, I turned back to Stefan.

I took a deep breath, and said, "I need to tell her the truth."

"You sure?" he asked.

I nodded. "She's my best friend, and we could never keep secrets from each other. I can trust her, it isn't fair to her either. I'm sorry..." I trailed off, not knowing what else I should say.

He nodded understandably, "Don't be. You shouldn't have to live in secret."

I bit my lip. I felt the electricity radiating off him, but it was faint, very faint. I wanted so bad just to hug him, and tell him how much I loved him, but... I wasn't so sure it would end well. I wanted to be with him though, and something inside me knew, that if that was to happen, this would be my last chance. So, pushing away my doubts, I practically jumped to him, and wrapped my arms around his torso.

The electricity ignited, and he hugged me back instantly. We stayed like that for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's presence. But, I remembered Bonnie, and I knew, that it was now or never. "Stefan," I pleaded softly, pulling away slightly to look into his green eyes. "Please..."

Without any further communication, Stefan seemed to know what I was referring to, "I can't, Ariana. I have to leave. Too many people have died. Too much had happened."

I shook my head, and closed my eyes. Tears from before were threatening to break out again. He was trying to protect me, for which I was grateful, but... if it meant losing him...then I'd never want to be alive.

Stefan continued, "I shouldn't be a part of your life. I've brought danger with me, wherever I go. You deserve a better life."

It wasn't his fault that there was danger everywhere. Damon brought the danger, well actually, he was the danger. But, that wasn't Stefan's fault, and what was a life, without him in it? It sounded all cheesy, but I didn't care, because it was the truth.

I saw tears come out of his eyes, as he said, "Good-bye, Ariana." He kissed my hand once, sending reverberating tingles up my arm, caressed my face, and left.

Coldness replaced his touch. Never in all my life had I felt such crushing pain. The kind of pain you feel when you lose someone. But, my parents were permanently dead, Stefan wasn't, he was undead, but still somewhat alive. As I started sobbing into the empty forest, I realized that I would never be the same. Hopefully, I could heal. But for now, I let it all out. Everything that was keeping me together poured out like a tipped over bucket of water. I felt sad, knowing that I already missed Stefan.

Collecting myself as best as I could, I walked back towards the car. Bonnie slouched in the front seat, in a peaceful, deep sleep.

I knew that what I was about to do next was stupid and reckless, but I didn't care. Hopefully, Bonnie would still be asleep by the time I came back, or else, she could accidentally hurt herself by either freaking out, or searching for me.

I turned back around, to face the woods, and started to walk. I took steps past thin trees, thick trees, hanging vines, rocks, plant-life, leaves, and just kept walking. I had no idea what I was doing. The night usually scared me, with the pitch-black sky, and shadows impersonating "ghosts" or "demons". But I felt no fear. I heard no sound, no rustle, no cricket. It was silent, as if the forest was dead.

But then, I did hear something. It was the sound of water swishing in a bottle. Looking to my right, I saw Damon sitting on a log, staring blankly ahead of him, as he brought the bottle of bourbon to his lips, letting the liquid slide smoothly into his mouth.

"Come to join the party?" He asked, startling me, even though it shouldn't have. He was a vampire, after all, he could hear my every movement.

But again, I felt no fear, only hurt and rejection. "Sure," I replied gloomily. Surprising him, I took a seat right next to where he was sitting, not caring that I was probably scratching up my new jeans.

"What's got you so upset?" He asked me.

"I could ask you the same thing." I said back. I had no idea why he seemed so sad, and helpless. All I knew, was that it had something to do with the necklace. He tried to kill Bonnie, but no matter how hard I tried to hate him, I couldn't. I could never hate someone, not even my worst enemy.

"I asked you first." Damon pointed out after a few seconds.

I sighed, not wishing to argue, I didn't think I had it in me. "Got dumped by your brother." I said nonchalantly.

His eyebrows raised, and I thought I saw him smile a bit, before he grimaced. "Aw...hell..." he muttered.

"What..?" I asked him. He turned to look at me, his gaze piercing into me eyes. We locked our gazes for a few more seconds, before he quickly looked away.

"Nothing." He said gruffly, "Don't worry about it. It's almost dawn. You should probably go home."

I studied him for a few moments longer, trying to get a read on him. He was showing nothing, except restraint. But, from what? Shaking my head, I stood up, and said, "You're probably right. Bonnie's gonna wake up soon. Bye."

I walked away from him, back into the woods, and following the familiar path back to my car. I needed to tell Bonnie.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Stefan felt pain. There was nothing that was more painful than telling Ariana that they couldn't be together. It was unbearable and excruciating. He threw his diary across his room in rage and frustration. Tears ran steadily down his cheeks, as he sobbed.

* * *

Damon still sat there, gazing at the forest where Ariana had just left. So, his brother had ended it with her. He was guessing it was because Stefan was trying to "protect" her, and truthfully, Stefan being with her was the only reason Damon hadn't yet per sued her.

That's why he had wanted his love Katherine back. Katherine ha a lot in common with Damon. They were both selfish, funny, sarcastic, and fun people. And though Damon had thought she was the only one he would ever want, Ariana's existence proved him wrong. The light within that one girl was unbelievable. She carried it with her, the inextinguishable flame always burning, and spreading to others around her. It affected Damon.

That is why, Damon knew he could never be with her. Darkness could never be equal to light, they couldn't mix. That's why he needed Katherine, the only one whose darkness was greater than his.

Damn wanted Ariana, more than anyone could ever imagine. But, he did not deserve her. And Ariana's life didn't need to be tainted with his presence. So, he would leave, and hope that someday, he could learn, to be light.


	11. The Turning Point

**THE TURNING POINT**

**Ariana POV:**

As I woke up, I thought for a moment that everything was okay. That my parents were still here. That I would go to school happy. That I wasn't heartbroken...

Still half-asleep, I put on a pair of red jeans, burgundy long-sleeved shirt, a black leather jacket and boots, and some gold jewelry. I pondered on whether or not I should wear the vervain necklace, and decided to keep it on. I didn't need any other vampires compelling me, if I were to ever see any more.

As I combed my hair in the bathroom, I looked through Jeremy's open door. A pencil was in his hand, and he was sketching something on his sketch pad. I smiled. It'd been a long time since he had stopped drawing, and I was elated to see him start again.

After placing a gold clip through my wavy dark hair, I walked down the stairs, and saw Jenna coming towards me. "Hey, Jenna." I smiled, "Jeremy's got his sketch book out."

"You're kidding?" Jenna asked in disbelief.

I shook my head. "I'm not. But, I'm also glad that he's starting to draw again. He hasn't since...you know."

Jenna needed no explanation, she knew what was referring to, "Well, let's not encourage him, or he'll put it away."

I laughed, but my smile faded once I checked my phone. I had a few messages, most of them from friends, but not one was from Stefan.

Jenna caught my look, and questioned, "You and Stefan?"

I looked at her sadly, and shrugged. "He's leaving, moving away."

"That's terrible," Jenna said, hugging me. I leaned against her, seeking comfort, "Do you know where he's going?"

I shook my head, "There's no point. He's made it pretty clear that he's not gonna be able to see me again." Jenna plucked her jacket off of the couch, and followed me out the front door. She closed the door behind us, as we walked across our house's walkway.

"Don't worry," Jenna smiled, encouragingly, "I'm sure you'll have plenty of rebounds."

I laughed, and said, "That's not the point, Jenna,"

"Yeah, well, yours leaves, mine returns." She said, now cynical.

I looked at her questioningly for a few moments, before I finally caught on, "Logan?" I asked.

"Yep, he's back." She clipped. I half-groaned. Logan always played with Jenna's heart, which I found to be really rude and annoying. Jenna deserved better. "I didn't let him pass the front door. Next time I'll slam the door in his face again, but harder."

I laughed, then teased, "Again?"

"Let me rephrase," She pointed out, and I smiled, "No. More. Logan. 'Scum'. Fell."

"Exactly," I agreed.

* * *

Once I got to school, I met up with Bonnie. We walked into the hallway, and I couldn't believe my eyes at what I saw. Matt and Caroline were walking together, and laughing. Hmm, strange. I didn't know that they liked each other, and they never hung out, not unless I was there. It was actually nice to see Matt moving on, at least, that's what I told myself.

"_They've _been hanging out." Bonnie emphasized to me.

"It's kinda weird, but," I shrugged, "Who am _I_ to judge." I lost sight of Matt and Caroline as they disappeared into a classroom.

"Yeah, she needs someone nice like him, as opposed to a homicidal vampire like Damon." She said.

I sighed, "How are you doing with all that? Are you okay?" I asked. Damon had attacked her, and in doing so, I worried whether or not I should've been more careful with her.

"I'm freaked out." Bonnie answered, "Damon attacked me. I could be dead right now. But I'm also grateful. To Stefan. He saved my life and... Have you seen him?"

I sighed. Once I heard her say Stefan, my mood just turned from a "slightly fine", to a.. "not so fine". Looking to put off her question, I spotted my locker and dialed the combination. After it popped open, I took off my jacket, and stuffed it in, pulling out my textbooks at the same time.

Knowing that I couldn't stall any longer, I turned to Bonnie, and replied, "I haven't seen him since that night."

"Do you think he'll say goodbye?" She asked me, softly.

I just shook my head and shrugged, "I don't know. He's trying to make a clean break. I've already tried pleading with him. But... I'm not going to be selfish. Him leaving is his choice to make, not mine."

Bonnie was silent for a few seconds, as if she didn't dare to speak. Perhaps my words came out harder than I had intended. I was about to apologize, when she broke the awkwardness, "Maybe it's for the best," I gave her a sideways look, and she continued. "I mean, what kind of future could you have had with him, even if he stayed."

I guess she was right. He was a vampire after all, I was a human. Unless I was to... transition, then we wouldn't be able to be together. Could I do it? For him? Become a vampire, possibly kill a bunch of people, just so that I could be together with him, forever? No. That was wrong. It was selfish, and many people would be hurt. I wasn't paying attention, so I jumped a bit when something dropped on me. It was a banner. On it, said, "_The Promise of your Future."_

I looked to Bonnie, and she put her hands up in defense, "I didn't do it, swear."

Sighing, I gave the banner back to the guy who dropped it, and walked to my classroom. Something told me, that the day wasn't gonna be an ordinary one. With the career night coming up tonight, something was bound to happen.

* * *

After school, I talked to a girl from my last period. She was nice, and it was good to just talk to someone, even f I couldn't actually tell them what my problem was. "See you later." I told the girl, once we reached the front of the school. Her house was in the opposite direction mine was in.

"Bye,"

"Bye," I waved. Turning around, I abruptly stopped, when I saw the person sitting on the table. I got a sense of deja vu before I started smiling a bit. I was shocked, but I had to admit, that I was happy seeing him there, in front of me, and smiling back.

"Hi," Stefan said, standing up from the table, and taking a step closer to me. "We need to talk,"

I nodded, even though I knew that those were the last words I ever wanted to hear. Was he here to say goodbye? Was he leaving? Questions...questions...questions...

* * *

There was a new vampire in town, and he had already killed a person. My guess was that the reason Stefan was still here, was because of this vampire. He wanted to make sure Mystic Falls was safe from harm, before he left. Stefan and I sat back on the table, discussing the situation.

"Do you have any idea who it could be?" I asked him, concerned.

"None," he replied, "But it must be somebody new because leaving a body like that, they're either sloppy or they're trying to send a message." I didn't exactly feel thrilled listening to Stefan talk about a vampire leaving dead bodies, but it was important. I wanted to be sure that this town was safe, because, it was filled with the people whom I loved and cared about. Why would there be a new vampire? And how?

"Do you think that Damon may have turned this new vampire?" I asked.

"I'm never sure about Damon, but he's trying to keep a low profile." Stefan explained, "So it doesn't make any sense to me."

I nodded. Since when did Damon care whether or not he kept a low profile? "What are we going to do?"

He raised his eyebrows at me, and he even smirked a bit, "_We _are not going to do anything. Damon and I will handle this. In fact, he's tracking the vampire right now."

I frowned, "You guys will be safe, right?" I asked.

His grin widened, "Whoever this vampire is, he must be a lot younger than us, meaning, that he's not as strong. We'll be fine." He stood up, and looked me in the eye, completely serious. His voice lowered, "I want you to be extremely careful. Don't invite any strangers in, and never be alone."

I looked to the ground. Every time he talked like that, showing me how much he cared, the pain of him leaving, grew. "When I saw you..." I admitted, "I thought you were coming to say goodbye," I looked back up to him.

"Not yet." He said. His reply didn't exactly make me feel any better. At least I knew I'd be safe until he actually left. Whoever this vampire was, he better not be killing any more people.

* * *

Tonight was career night. I took my car to school, and saw many students and their parents scattered across the hallways. After about an hour of wandering from place to place, and talking with some of my classmates, I stopped at a station that brought back memories. Pictures of space shuttles, the moon, and the planets in the solar system were stuck to the wall. As if on cue, Matt showed up beside me.

"Hey, Matt," I smiled at him, "Still wanna be an astronaut?"

He laughed, "I can't believe you remember that."

I smirked, recalling another memory, "I can remember the tinfoil that you wore on your head. Your hair almost caught on fire when you stood in the sun."

Matt grinned, "I was eight." He defended.

I smiled back, and changed the subject, "How are you doing?" I hoped he was okay, he seemed happy this morning when he talked to Caroline.

"I've had it easier," he answered, "You? I heard some things. So it's true that you and Stefan..."

I sighed, and suddenly became very fascinated by the pictures on the table. It was just an excuse for not looking him in the eyes. "Yeah..." I confirmed sadly. Trying to erase the look of sorry on Matt's face, I teased him, "What about you, Matt Donovan? You and Caroline."

Matt smiled and rolled his eyes, "Not you too. We're just friends." I raised my eyebrows. "Just friends"? "It's not a big deal." he continued.

"You know, Matt," I started, trying to break the strange air between us, "If you like Caroline, you don't need me too-"

"Look, Ariana." He stared intensely into my eyes, capturing me with his sea-blue eyes. "It's not like that with Caroline. She's not the one I want..." He glanced at the floor, then back to me, willing me to understand.

I took a deep, ragged breath and looked away from him. I wish that I wasn't able to interpret the meaning of what he was saying. It was too much. Matt deserved to be happy, and if he gave Caroline a chance... maybe, something could happen. Looking to my left, I saw Stefan standing there, looking, well, kinda jealous. We locked eyes, and a silent understanding thought was passed between us. I glanced back at Matt, to see him glaring slightly at Stefan. I sighed.

* * *

I left Matt after that, not knowing what else to say to him. He gave me a slight look of betrayal before I disappeared down the hallway of the school, Stefan following me. I finally just got annoyed and turned around to face him. We leaned against the wall, and with my eyes, I gestured for him to say what he wanted to say.

"I'm looking out for you," He started, "Hope that's okay."

I looked at him, and said, "You know... you don't have to look out for me. It's not your job."

He smiled a bit, "It's not. But, I need to know that you're safe."

I couldn't muster up a comeback. Instead, I walked towards the career tables next to us, not paying attention to what career was on the pamphlets.

"You know, I wanted to be a doctor before everything happened, but, uh, then I couldn't, cause..." He didn't need to finish that sentence. I knew what he was talking about: blood. To be a doctor, it's probably best not to be a vampire who loses control at the sight of blood. I nodded to Stefan, implying that I understood. He looked relieved, and then continued, "I've dabbled in a bunch of different things, though, too."

"Did you love anything enough to stick to it?" I asked, moving to the next tabled filled with another career. Stefan followed me.

He responded, "No I - I loved it all." I smiled, "I just - I had to move on before anybody could notice that... I wasn't getting any... older."

That must have been tough, having to always move around and leave the people he'd met. Like he was leaving me. Hesitantly, I asked, "How...how long before you'd have to ... leave."

"Few years, usually. Sometimes shorter." He replied. So, even if he was to stay for a bit longer, eventually, he'd still have to leave me. I sighed, meet the guy of your dreams, just to have him go too soon. Awesome. Stefan must have caught my look, because he tried changing the subject, "What about you? What are your plans for the future?"

I looked away from him, fighting back tears. How could he ask me that question? How could I decide what I would want for the future, if he wasn't in it. "Stefan..." I started, "I - I'm not sure I can answer that question. It - it hurts to talk about... my future, if you're not gonna be in it."

Stefan gave me a look of sorrow, but before he could start talking again, Jenna came up to us. "Hide me." She said.

Pushing aside my sadness, I looked at her strangely, "What's going on?"

"The scum Fell has landed." She replied. Ah, Logan. The guy who dumped her.

"Logan's here?" I asked her. After all the guy did to her, you'd expect him to at least be partially polite. But no. He had to show up and make Jenna feel bad.

Stefan suddenly joined the conversation, by asking, "Wait, Logan Fell?" Jenna and I nodded, confused. He abruptly walked out of the "room" and into the hall. Jenna and I followed Stefan and his gaze. Logan was there, talking to other students. He turned slightly, and gave an almost mocking wave to Stefan. What was _that _about?

Before I could ask Stefan what was happening, Logan strolled over to us, but, he seemed different. His strides were more predatory, more like "I'm the king of the world" kinda strides. The look on his face unnerved me, as if... as if he was deciding which one of us he should kill. He turned his bizarre gaze on Jenna, who was beside me, and asked, "Jenna, are you dodging me?"

"It's a form of self-preservation." Was her comeback.

Stefan was tense on my other side, looking at Logan half-glaringly, and half-warylingly. "Um, Ariana." He said, his voice wavered slightly, "Why don't you and, uh, Jenna, go somewhere else?" Stefan broke his gaze away from Logan, and looked at me, his eyes willing me to understand.

Then I got it. Looking at Logan again, I realized what the change was. He was a vampire. Please, tell me he wasn't the one responsible for the murder and disappearances of the people in Mystic Falls. But something told me, he was. He was definitely a new vampire, and fear stabbed at me, once I realized that he'd been around Jenna. "Jenna," I said to her softly, still not looking away from Logan, "We should go..."

I reached for her hand, and led her away from our ex-boyfriends, who, strangely, were both vampires.

* * *

Reaching another place in the school, making sure we were far enough away, I turned around to face Jenna. "You said that Logan came to the house." She nodded. "What did he say?"

I was trying to figure out whether or not he had asked her to invite him in. "Fake flattery." She answered. "Stupid dimpled grin. Puppy dog eyes."

I rolled my eyes. "How did he act?"

"He was the usual Logan; was charming, a little more manic than usual. He kept trying to convince me to let him in." My ears perked up at that. He was definitely a vampire. I looked up at Jenna with wide-eyes, and she asked, "What?"

"Look, Jenna," I started, "Be very careful around him. Please. If he asks you to invite him in, say 'no'." I was looking after Jenna, Elena, and Jeremy. Logan could hurt them, so without revealing anything to them, I had to figure out a way to protect them. At least, until all the vampires were gone from Mystic Falls. Jenna gave me a look of puzzlement, but she didn't question it any further. She didn't trust Logan any more than I did.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my History teacher walk towards us. "Hey Ariana. Jenna." Alaric greeted us.

"Hi Mr. Saltzman." I smiled back. His gaze then drifted to Jenna. Hmm...

"I was hoping to see you tonight." He said to Jenna.

Jenna smiled, "Career night is the new bowling."

Alaric laughed. There was definitely more going on between them. Me being there was becoming awkward, and I also needed to go find Stefan. "I'll meet you later Jenna," I said to her, then turned to Alaric, and nodded. I quickly escaped, my eyes darting around to find the hot vampire...

* * *

Walking out the back entrance, and into the parking lot, I spotted Stefan on the phone. I had no idea who he was talking urgently to, but he looked concerned, and worried.

I walked towards him quietly. He finally hung up on his phone, and turned towards me. "Hey, Stefan," I asked him, "What's been going on?" I needed answers. To why Logan was a vampire. And why he didn't tell me that he had died. Let me guess: he was "protecting me". I sighed. It was unfair to him, but, if I were to protect the people I cared about, including the Salvatore brothers, then I needed to know what was going on.

* * *

Apparently, Damon had killed Logan when he was about to stake Stefan. But some other vampire - I groaned. _Another _vampire - had turned him, and now he was roaming the town, undead. Who would create a vampire and not use him for any reason? Or did they have some other ulterior motive? Either way, it was unsafe to anyone around him, and he needed to be controlled. I didn't want him dead, but... what could we do? Would he be able to live like Stefan? Or Lexi? I guess I'd just have to find out.

Back in the hallway, students were passing me and Stefan. I saw Matt coming towards us, and I asked him, "Hey, Matt. Have you seen Logan Fell?"

"Yeah," He said brusquely. He wasn't still mad, was he? "He just gave Caroline a ride home." Matt brushed past us, walking in the other direction. Stefan and I shared a look. Oh no. What was he doing with Caroline? We had to find her.

"Stay here." Stefan told me, already walking towards the front of the school.

"Wait." I said, catching up to him, "I need to make sure Caroline's okay. She's my best friend. And you can't go alone."

"Ariana." Stefan said, giving me a wry smile, as he grabbed my hands. "I'll make sure Caroline's fine. Damon's coming too. I won't be alone."

I sighed, and looked down. I'd just get in the way anyways. What could I do? I was human. I was really worried about Caroline, but, hopefully Stefan and Damon could bring her home, safe and sound. I succumbed, and nodded, "Alright, be careful."

He touched the side of my head, and said, "You too." He let go, and briskly walked away. My eyes followed him with concern until he was completely out of my line of vision.

* * *

I talked to another student from my third period class. She was explaining to me about how many career paths she could go down. I sighed. She was so smart, while my grades were... I wasn't even going to think about them. Stefan finally returned, and I left the girl as I walked towards Stefan quickly.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine. So is Caroline. I took her home. She was shaken up, but all she knows is that Logan attacked her. Nothing else."

"Thank you," I told him gratefully. Caroline was okay, safe at home. "What about Logan."

Stefan looked uncomfortable, "Damon's dealing with him." Yeah, sure, "dealing". Meaning; that Damon had killed him. I nodded, understandingly. I didn't want Logan dead. I'd never want that. But... in order to protect the people I loved...was it right? Maybe I was just being selfish. But, no. I was protecting other people's lives. This should've been a good thing. "You saw what happened tonight, right?" Stefan said, now twice as uncomfortable, "You understand why we can't be together?"

What hurt the most, was that... I did understand. Vampires were putting my friends and family in danger, yet... I couldn't let Stefan go. I loved him. I was _meant _for him. Just because he's a vampire, didn't mean that it changed my view of him. "We can still be friends, at least." I said, "Until you... leave." Stefan nodded sadly. "I'll give you ride." Stefan looked uncertain. I gave him a pleading look.

He smiled and rolled his eyes. "All right, that would be nice."

* * *

I pulled up to the boarding house driveway, and took the keys out of the ignition. I got anxious when I realized that this could be the last time I'd ever see him. But, Stefan stayed in the car. I asked him, "You still want to know what I wanted to be for the future?"

He turned towards me, and nodded.

"I wanted to be a writer. Our mom sorta pushed Elena and I into that direction since day one. She supported us, encouraged us, bought us our first journal. We used to write all kinds of things in our journals. But... then she died. Elena and I sort of drifted away from being a writer. I can't see myself being one anymore, not if _she's_ not going to be here." I looked to Stefan, who seemed to be in deep concentration because of my story.

"You can still become a writer," he said, "You shouldn't let someone's death shackle you from doing what you love."

Right. _He _was telling _me _this. He thinks that because I love something, I shouldn't let anything else get in the way of it. But what about him? We loved each other, yet he still won't stay and be with me. I asked softly, "Then why can't you stay?"

Stefan looked away from me, and replied just as softly, "It's hard to understand, but I'm doing this for you. It's for your protection." I sighed. If I had to hear that word one more time... "You'll be safer this way. I'm sorry." Pulling out the car door handle, he swiftly stepped out of the car, and closed the door.

I started breathing heavily as I pondered over what to do. This could be the last chance I got to convince him. I loved him... so much.

My emotions clouded my thoughts. I got out of the car too, and followed Stefan to where he was, walking further up the driveway. His back was still turned, but he stopped once he heard me. "Stefan, please," I pleaded, "Please, stay with me. I love you."

He stopped completely, as if he was electrocuted. It was as if he hadn't believed what I'd just said to be true. Was it really that hard to believe that I loved him? He'd told me the same thing before on many other occasions. The only reason I hadn't said anything to him before today, was because I thought that he understood what he meant to me. That I loved him. There were tears in my eyes, as I waited for him to either accept me, or walk away.

Stefan finally turned around, and I saw that he too, had tears in his eyes. The next moment, he was right in front of me. He took my face with his gentle cool hands, and kissed me. It wasn't like before though. This kiss was filled with all the emotions he was feeling: anger, fear, passion, lust, sadness, happiness, anxiousness, eagerness, and, of course, love. Passion flooded me from his hot kisses as I suddenly found myself inside of the Salvatore boarding house. I barely registered anything else as I took off my jacket, and he started kissing my neck.

Then, he suddenly pulled away, breathing heavily. His face turned away from me, so I couldn't see what was wrong. That's when I realized. It must've been his bloodlust. Touching his face gently from behind, I whispered, "It's okay, Stefan."

He shook his head, "No," he said, "It's different this time. Ariana I can't...I..."

"Yes you can. No matter what, I know that you're always in control. You don't have to hide from me," I whispered the last part. After a few seconds, he finally turned around. I saw the familiar red and black eyes, with the blue veins popping out of the skin below his eyes. I touched them gently, and Stefan's eyes closed as I ran my fingers over the little bumps. Just like before, when this happened, I leaned in, and placed a soft kiss upon his lips, feeling his sharp fangs. But there was no fear. My heart was pumping wildly, but it was because of Stefan himself, not because he was a vampire.

Before I had completely pulled away, I heard him groan, and I found myself suddenly in the air. We didn't even reach his bedroom when his lips attacked mine, his hands traveling up and down my body. Wherever his hands went, electricity surged through me. He continued to kiss me, and we only broke apart to remove his shirt and mine. With me only in my bra and panties, and him in his boxers, he lowered me onto his soft bed. He kissed me with intensifying passion as my hands explored the muscles on his back. Stefan's lips were everywhere; kissing my lips, neck, chest, stomach. He was warm and cold at the same time. The feeling was of nothing I'd ever experienced before. I shivered at his touch, and he seemed to like that. My hands went to his hair, and there was no pain, only pleasure.

* * *

_Wow_. That was the word I couldn't stop repeating in my head. I felt happy, elated, and it was definitely the best day of my life. I've never felt this feeling before. Not with Matt, or any of the other guys. Stefan was different, and I loved him. I lied in Stefan's arms, wearing his shirt half-buttoned over me. Stefan, who was under me, kept stroking my hair, from root to tip. It felt good, really good. I didn't pay attention before, but now that I looked around Stefan's room, I could see that it was really nice. Much like the rest of the house, his room had old wood paneling, with pictures hanging off walls, and book shelves surrounding some tables. Candles were lit on the tables, along with a few stacks of paper - those, of course, were not lit.

"I've never been in your room before, it's nice." I commented.

He lightly kissed my head and said, "Hm, well, it hasn't changed much over the years. But, thank you." By the sound of his voice, even though I couldn't see him, I knew he was smiling. He was happy, just like me.

"Do you leave everything here when you come and go?" I asked, curiously. My eyes roamed the room, to see many old things I've never before seen. I couldn't put a description on any of the artifacts.

"It's the only place that...that had remained constant. This room holds every memory that I've ever thought was important enough to hold on to." He said, slowly.

I smiled, and snuggled up against him, feeling content. "I like your room. I wish my house looked like this." I said.

Stefan laughed. "Wouldn't it be too creepy?" He teased.

"I could get used to it..." I replied suggestively. He kissed the top of my head.

"Well..." He started, "If Damon ever leaves, then you're welcome to stay here whenever you want."

"Really?" I asked in disbelief. Did this mean he was going to stay?

"Really." He confirmed. I was so happy I almost jumped up and down. Stefan was going to stay here, with me! After a few seconds, he asked, "Are you thirsty or anything?"

Truthfully, I was very thirsty. I was exhausted, but I didn't want to seem rude or annoying. I half-lied, "A little. You?" I looked up into his eyes which were filled with humor. Then, I realized what I'd said. "Oh, yeah..."

Stefan laughed and said, "I'm fine. Let me get you something to drink, okay?"

Such a gentleman, "Okay. Thank you," I said.

"Your welcome," He kissed me, then slowly moved out from under me, and walked out of the room, still shirtless. I bit my lip to keep from screaming out in excitement. I grabbed one of Stefan's soft white pillows and grinned brightly. I really was happy. I could get used to this. Lying here, on Stefan's bed, in this old house. It felt nice. It felt right. After a while, I stood up, and started to explore Stefan's room. Hundreds of books lined his walls, some of which I couldn't even read because it was in a different language. On one of the tables was a tall yellow-white candle, and when I leaned in to smell it, it's scent was of vanilla and oranges. It was heavenly. But next to it, was... not so heavenly.

There was a photograph. It was brown and white, with the edges beginning to wear out. What shocked me was who was in the photo. It was me. Wait. No. Not me. Below it had writing, it said: _Katherine 1864. _I swear to God, that my heart stopped. No. No, no, no, no. This couldn't be. I looked exactly like her. Our resemblance was immaculate, like we were carbon copies of each other. Elena and I didn't look this much like each other, not even close. Before I knew it, there were tears running down my cheeks. How could he? This...this was...

Sobbing, and broken-hearted, I ripped the vervain necklace from my neck, and placed it onto the picture. As quietly as I could, I left the boarding house.

* * *

I knew that what I was doing was stupid and reckless. But I was hurt and upset. I felt like a wild bear was tearing me to pieces. I couldn't believe that Stefan would do this to me. Was he only with me because I looked like _her? _Was that the only reason? That because I looked like his dead girlfriend, he could use me to be her... replacement? The more I thought about it, the more I cried. I probably should've given him the time to explain, but I felt embarrassed. He should've told me from the beginning, not wait for me to find out.

I drove down a deserted road, not even knowing where I was going, just wanting to get away from everything. To escape this -this - pain. Then, as if my day couldn't get any worse, it did.

One second, the road was deserted, the pitch-black night only illuminated by my car lights. Then, a guy appeared, covered with a hood. I gasped in shock, and hit the brakes. But I was too late. I hit him, and the next thing I knew, was the pressure and sensation of rolling through the air. The impact of my car and the ground was enough to make me hit my head of the dashboard. When the car and my head finally stopped spinning, I was upside-down. What? Oh, the car must have landed on the hood. Tears were still rolling down my face, but they were more from fear. Was the guy I hit okay? He must've been in a lot more pain than me. Please tell me he was alright?

I thought too soon. The figure that was on the ground, looking dead before, suddenly got up. His arms in legs that were previously angled in impossible directions suddenly popped into place, as if he had just healed. No human could do that. He must have been a vampire. The upside-down figure started walking across the asphalt, towards me. I mentally sighed. I probably should've stayed in the boarding house. Out of panic, I tried pushing the door open. Of course, it just wasn't my lucky day. I was stuck in my seat, stuck in the car. The "man" was only a few feet away from me, when I screamed.

* * *

**Hello everybody. Thank you for reading and reviewing this story. I do love to read and write, so I try to update as fast as I possibly can without making the story sound rushed. I hope you all are enjoying my story. The next episode is one of my favorites out of the entire show, so I'm looking forward to writing it. I love all of your reviews, and I'm inspired by them, so thank you. I accept all thoughts and ideas, so please, review!**

**-Spiralcloud**


	12. Bloodlines

**BLOODLINES**

The "man" was now only about a foot away from me, but when I screamed, he vampire sped away. Confused, I tried poking my head out of the broken window, my eyes scanning the upside-down world for any signs of unnatural movement. I could barely place anything. Everything blurred, spun, and it was very dark. Then, something appeared right in front of me. I let out a little shriek.

"How ya doing in there?" I recognized that voice; Damon. I tried to focus on him, but I was still upside-down.

"Damon?" I asked uncertainly, at the roundish but slightly blurred face image.

"Yeah, it's me." He confirmed. Relief flooded me, silently thanking Damon for showing up, before that guy, or whatever, could get to me. "You look stuck."

I gave a fearful half-choke laugh, "It's my seatbelt, I think it's jammed." My breathing came heavily.

"Hey," He said softly, trying to comfort me, "It's okay. Let me get you out of there. I want you to put your hands on the roof." Nodding, I tried placing my hands above my head, or below, which ever way I was facing. "Just like that." Damon then reached through my broken car window, and his hands clasped over the seatbelt beside my waist. "Ready? One, two, three." The seatbelt, was ripped away by Damon. Since it was no longer holding me up, I started to fall. Luckily, Damon grabbed ahold of me, and slid me out of the window.

My head spun as he placed me on my feet. Everything blurred, even more than before. And with the major headache from when I banged my head, it was extremely difficult to keep myself conscious.

Damon was the only thing keeping me from falling backwards onto the hard asphalt. His hands were wrapped around me, holding me up in the dreary night. It reminded me too much of the way Stefan would hold me, but I was too weak and tired to argue. "Are you okay?" He asked me, worried. I couldn't even muster a response, nothing worked properly. "Is anything broken?"

Damon's grip loosened on me for a fraction of a second. But my feet were not listening to my commands, and I started to fall backwards. "Whoa," Damon said, as he caught me. This time, he pulled me against him tighter, "You're fading fast, Ariana." My eyes were closing, as I felt myself fade a bit..."Ariana, look at me." Damon brought me back as his palm rested on my cheek. His fingers brushed across my lips as he instructed, "Focus. Look at me." My eyes opened slightly, to see his concerned gaze on me. His eyes in that moment were so kind...

Suddenly, the weight of all that happened came crashing down, so I knew that I was only seconds away from loosing it. Mustering all the strength I had left, I told him the reason of why I was in my car in the first place, through a whisper, "I look like her..."

My strength ceased to exist. All I heard was a confused, "What?" before my eyes left Damon's blue ones, and I faded into darkness...

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Damon knelt on the ground, a unconscious Ariana in his arms. His gaze traveled across her ridiculously beautiful features adoringly. She almost seemed peaceful. Damon was confused about what she had stated before she fainted. Was she talking about Katherine? Is that why Ariana was nowhere near her house? He was fearful for the vampire who had been there when she crashed her car. What was he going to do to her? Damon's anger flared up the more he thought about it.

Running his hands though her soft hair and across her face, Damon wanted to make sure that she was okay. That the accident would not permanently damage her. Apart from a few scratches, making it hard for Damon to resist her blood, Ariana seemed fine. Damon finally snapped out of his daydream, wait no, night-dream, and looked around him warily. No sign of danger, or any other vampire.

"Upsy-daisy." Damon said, as he wrapped his arms around her, carrying her bridal style. To Damon, Ariana weighed less than a feather. He carried her as if she was the most fragile precious thing on the planet. Which, according to Damon, she was.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

The low thrumming vibrated through me, awakening me from a seemingly endless dream. I dreamt of a world where no supernatural beings existed. Stefan and I were together, and we were in love. But then, something dark came. But, I had no idea what that darkness was. What did it want?

Once I had finally opened my eyes, I realized where I was. In... a car? And it was moving. The unrecognizable landscape rushed pass me, further confusing me. The sun shone brightly in the sky, lighting up the land. Where was I?

"Morning," I familiar voice called from beside me. Damon. He smirked as he continued to drive, changing the direction of his car - that I was sitting in - every now and then. Though, there was only one road meandering through the land, no turns nor stoplights.

Why was I in his car? How did we get here, to ... the middle of nowhere. Yesterday was a blur. "Where are we?" I asked Damon.

"Georgia." He answered.

What? We were in Georgia? Why- How - I - Huh? Now I was seriously confused. Why was he taking me to Georgia? I racked my brain for what had happened last night. "Why are we in Georgia?" I asked, deciding to go along with his claim. Knowing him, this new landscape I was seeing probably_ was _Georgia.

"I don't know." Damon replied, still smirking. "Thought it'd be fun. Road trip and all. How're you feeling?"

My jaw dropped. Was he serious right now? I couldn't process a coherent thought.

Good thing he spoke up. "There's no broken bones. I checked." The way he said that sent shivers down my spine.

Then, last night's memories finally came back to me, and I remembered. Stefan and I together... Katherine and I looking exactly the same... me driving away... crashing my car... a guy... Damon showing up, and saving me... "There was a guy that I hit...and then I crashed my car..." A very nice car, might I add.

"Yep." Damon said, "It was pretty disastrous. Lucky I was there on time to save you."

I shook my head and sighed, "Thank you. For saving me, but we really need to get back. Jenna would be worried, and nobody knows where I am..." I pleaded with him. I was very thankful and grateful for Damon coming to get me, especially since he chased off the vampire, or whatever. But, now was not the time to sort out these things. I was still extremely confused, and I needed someone to explain everything to me, this time, without any "forgot to tell you" informations. I felt my back jean pocket for my phone, but it wasn't there. "Damon, could you please pull over for a sec?"

I never asked for this "ride", but it never hurts to be polite. Damon, still smiling, pulled over to the side of the narrow road. I wanted to smack his face. I got out of his car, feeling the nice breeze on my skin. There was nothing out here, besides grass, cows, and dirt. A sudden pain flashed through me, causing me to bend over and hiss.

I felt a pair of hands touch my arms, and looked up to see Damon crouched slightly beside me, with a worried look plastered on his face. No longer smiling. "Hey," he said. The pain went away, but his arms were still wrapped around mine.

His concern made me feel happy, yet uneasy. "I'm fine." I stepped out of his arms, and saw a look of hurt, before he looked worried again. "But, we need to go back."

His eyes danced a little, "Oh, come on. We've already come this far."

"This isn't about me." I said, "I wrecked my car. People are going to find out. I'm not going to make Jenna and my siblings worry about me. And..." I was about to say "Stefan" when I clamped my mouth shut.

"And what?" Damon asked, almost tauntingly.

"Never mind." I said, dismissively. Damn it. What was I supposed to do? It's not like I could make Damon take me back to Mystic Falls, nor did I want to walk there. I wasn't that crazy. But what was Damon planning? Why Georgia?

Then, I heard a phone ring. Wait... that was _my _phone. Damon smirked, taking it out of his jacket pocket. I gaped at him. "Mmm." He said, "I bet what you were about to say had something to do with your boyfriend. I'll take it." I stared at him accusingly while he said into my receiver, "Ariana's phone."

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Stefan paced in his room, very, very worried. He needed to find Ariana, and tell her that it was all a big misunderstanding. He never loved Katherine. She had compelled his love. He only loved Ariana, and he had to explain that to her clearly. He's called her about a thousand times, and left a hundred messages, yet she hadn't picked up. But, he called her again, and this time, the phone picked up. But it wasn't Ariana. Unfortunately, the last person Stefan would ever want to hear on Ariana's phone, just so happened to pick up. "Ariana's phone." Came his brother's haughty voice.

Stefan stopped pacing, and tensed, "Where is she?" He asked, "Why do you have her phone? Is she okay?"

* * *

"Ariana?" Damon asked innocently. He smirked at Ariana, while she just shook her head. "She's right here. And, yes, she's... _fine." _He emphasized the last word.

* * *

Stefan narrowed his eyes automatically, and asked, "Where are you? Let me speak to her."

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Damon, who was leaning against his car, held out my phone to me. "He wants to talk to you." He said, his eyes challenging me, as if he was daring me to take the phone. But, really, what could I say to Stefan, anyways? _"Yeah, umm, hey. Just wanted to let you know; I left your house and drove away because your old girlfriend looked like me. And now I'm hanging out with your brother who just happens to act like a serial killer. Yeah, don't worry about me at all!" _Somehow, I don't think that conversation would go down well.

So, I shook my head at Damon.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

"Yeah." Damon's voice came out of the receiver a few seconds later, "I don't- I don't think she wants to talk to you right now."

Stefan felt rage burn through him. He wanted to kill his brother, right then and there. The scenarios in his head of what was happening was endless. He winced, just thinking about them. "Damon," Stefan threatened in a deadly voice, "I swear to God, if you touch her-"

He was cut off by his brother, who said in a "I'm way better than you" voice, "You have a good day now. Mm-hmm. Bye-now."

The phone clicked off, and all that was to be heard was the sound of the long beep. Stefan shouted in frustration. He threw his phone across the room in anger, and it landed on his chair with a loud bang. He picked up the necklace that Ariana had left on the table, and clutched it with his hands. He stared at in horror, as he realized, that without vervain on, Ariana could easily be compelled to do whatever Damon wanted. Stefan's blood ran cold, colder than ice. He needed to find her, now.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

I shook my head at Damon. _Way to rile Stefan up, _I thought. I sighed, and tried again, "Look, Damon, no one knows where I am. Can we please go back."

"We're almost there." Damon stated. I raised my eyebrows, and he continued, "It's a little place right outside of Atlanta. It'll be fun." I turned my head to the side, and closed my eyes. Why was he being so difficult? "Oh, come on, Ariana. You don't wanna go back right now. Do you? What's the rush?" He gave me a knowing look, "Trust me. Your problems are still going to be there when you get home. Just take a step away for five minutes."

There really was no point in arguing, it wasn't going to get me anywhere. And... I guess he was right. Did I really want to go back right now, and have to deal with Stefan? Especially since it's sort of my fault. I mean, I left the boarding house, hit what I thought was a vampire, crashed my car, and now I'm stuck with Damon. So, everybody's worry would be my fault. I sighed again, and nodded, "Okay."

"Yes!" Damon said, as if he was victorious. I shook my head at his silliness. "Come on, let's go!" He strolled back over to the driver's side of the car. Smiling out of amusement, I walked back over to the passenger side.

* * *

Once we were driving again, I looked over to Damon, and asked, "After I wrecked my car, did you put it anywhere?"

"I pulled it off to the side of the road." He answered, and shrugged, "I don't think anyone will bother it."

Okay... "The man, the one I hit..." I started, "Is he a...?"

"From what I could tell, yeah..." Damon answered, not needing for me to finish. _Great,_ more vampires in Mystic Falls.

The scenery changed gradually, and I found myself surrounded by a few old buildings. Damon pulled up to a stop in front of a dirty blue cement bar called,_ "Bree's Bar". _I raised my eyebrows at Damon once we got out of his car. "Hmm. How did I not guess that you were going to bring me to a bar?" I asked.

He smirked, and said, "You've had a lot on your mind recently." He jerked his shoulder towards the bar, indicating for me to follow him. I rolled my eyes, as I fell into step behind him. Once we got to the - what I assumed was the - front entrance, Damon opened the door for me.

I nodded my head in a "thanks", as I walked into the bar. The door swung shut behind us, and I surveyed the inside. Wood covered most of the structures, with added lights, stools, and pool tables. It was much nicer inside than it was outside. Cute. Damon and I approached the bar table, and a woman taller than Damon, with chocolate skin, and black tight-curled hair sauntered over to him. I was guessing this was Bree.

She looked to be in her late thirties. "No. No, it can't be. Damon." She said, swinging her legs over the bar table, and walking right up into Damon. They were both smirking. "My honey pie." Grabbing his hair, Bree planted a noisy kiss on his lips. Umm... awkward. I just stood there, confused as to what sort of background history there was between the two.

* * *

After that, Damon and I got settled down. We sat on the bar stools, right in front of Bree, who stood on the other side of the wooden counter. While pouring a few shots of tequila for the few people in the bar - it was still early afternoon - she shouted, "Listen up everybody! Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness." I sighed, knowing that she was referring to Damon. It wasn't exactly unexpected. "Drink up!" She announced, once done pouring. Damon and Bree both picked up a shot glass, and downed the alcohol. Yeah, I wasn't doing that. "Ah. Whoo!" Bree turned to me, and gestured towards Damon, who sat next to me, smirking. "So, how'd he rope you in?" She poured another shot and handed it to me.

I took the mini-glass into my hands, and placed it back down onto the table. I wasn't exactly in the mood to get drunk, though, I could probably use it. Bree's question caught me off guard, and I immediately said, "Actually, I'm dating his brother."

"Honey," She turned to me with a knowing smile, "If you're not roped, you're whipped. Either way, just enjoy the ride." She smiled, and poured herself another shot of tequila.

I wasn't gonna bother to correct her. Damon kept glancing at me a smirking. I sighed, rolled my eyes, and changed the subject - sort of - by asking, "So, how did you two meet?"

There was obviously some sort of backstory, and since I was bored, I thought I'd might ask. Damon and Bree shared a look, before she answered, "College."

Hmm, strange, I wasn't expecting that. It was hard to imagine that Damon went to a college, even if he did have centuries to spare. He just seemed to make people feel as if he was above all that. I gave Damon a smirk, and asked, "College?"

"What?" He shrugged, "A way to pass the time." Then he whispered to me; "Plus, people there are young and fresh."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. I definitely didn't need him to explain to me how much he enjoyed eating other people. Hopefully, he hadn't killed too many of them.

Good thing, Bree spoke before I could ponder too much on his statement. She explained, "About twenty years ago, when I was a sweet, young freshman, I met this beautiful man, and I fell in love. And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him even more." Wow, so Bree knew about Damon being a vampire. I made sense, seeing how they met _twenty _years ago. Then, she continued, "Because, you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody."

What secret? Damon leaned over to me, and whispered, "She's a witch." I raised my eyebrows at Bree. Bonnie was a witch too, that was kinda cool. I wondered what sort of spells she'd learned.

"Changed my world, you know." She said to me. _Yeah, no kidding,_ I thought. Witches and vampires seemed to currently surround my life.

"I rocked your world." Damon stated. I did not need to know that information.

"He is good in the sack, isn't he?" Bree asked, and all I could think about was; _I did not need to know that information either. _"But most of the time he's... just a Walk-Away Joe."

I felt sorry for her. Damon's composure dropped for a second, but I could see that Damon must've left Bree, shortly after she fell in love with him. I felt sympathy for Bree. Then, there was Caroline. Did Damon do this to all the women he'd been with, break their hearts? I guess since he never aged, it wasn't possible for him to be with other girls. I wondered if he'd ever be happy with someone again. Is that what he was looking for when he came back to Mystic Falls? For love?

"So," Bree's gaze turned hard as she stared at Damon, "What is it that you want?"

I wondered the same thing.

* * *

I walked outside for some fresh air, and then, there's the real reason. Damon gave me back my phone, and I knew that it was time to call Jenna. She picked up on the first ring, and I waited for her voice while I watched a couple of crows fly through trees and above the buildings. "Hello?" I heard her voice from my cell.

"Hi, Jenna. It's me." I said, after taking a deep breath. I wondered if she knew about the "accident".

"Ariana?" She asked, her voice raising considerably, "Where are you? Why didn't you call before?"

"I'm so sorry. I was so tired last night, and I fell asleep at Bonnie's." God, I really did hate lying, especially to my own family. Damn you... Damon. "When I woke up, I was almost late to school, so I didn't have any time to call you. I'm sorry."

"Are you okay?" Jenna asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I told her, "Just trying to sort some thing's out."

She didn't respond for a few seconds, but then she asked, "...About Stefan?"

I nodded sadly, though she couldn't see me. "That, and a few other things."

"You can tell me anything, you know." Jenna stated, all motherly. I smiled. "I'm here for you."

"I know Aunt Jenna," I said, gratefully. I wanted to go back home, to see Jenna, Elena, Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline, and everyone else. But, I had a Salvatore vampire keeping me in Georgia. "Don't worry about me. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Okay." She agreed, "Next time, make sure you at least text me if you're not coming home, that way, I'll know you're okay, alright?"

"Of course," I told her. I hoped that the day when I wouldn't be calling her, would never come. "Bye."

"Bye."

I hung up, stared at my phone for a while, and sighed. What did I do to deserve such a wonderful aunt. I prayed to God that she wouldn't get caught up in all this vampire business, like I seemed to be in. Now, to find out what Damon's plan was, bringing us to this bar.

* * *

I walked half-way back to "Bree's Bar", when my phone rang. Taking it out of my pocket, my heart gave a lurch once I saw the caller ID. I pressed the "answer" button and held my phone to my ear.

"Ariana, is that you?" Stefan's frantic voice came from the other end.

I actually felt guilty that I made him worry. But the other part of me felt glad, because after he lied to me all this time, the part thought that I deserved to have some respect for myself. I took a deep, deep breath, and confirmed, "Yeah, it's me,"

"Oh God," Stefan sounded relieved, yet worried at the same time. It sounded as if he was about to explode from stress, and the guilt tugged at me again. Technically, I left the boarding house without giving him any notice, but, I had a good reason to do so. "Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm fine," I automatically said. But, I couldn't answer his second question. I was in Georgia... with Damon... so it wasn't as if he could come and rescue me, or whatever.

After realizing that I wasn't going to tell him my whereabouts, he said, "Just tell me where you are, so that I can come get you."

By the way, I also wasn't ready to face him yet, to talk about Katherine, and how I was practically an exact image of her. "I'm okay, I'll come back home once..." I trailed off. Whoops...

"Once what?" Stefan asked, concerned. "Damon's with you isn't he? Has he compelled you? Is that why you can't tell me where you are?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no." I rushed, "He didn't compel me." I bit my lip, though. How would Stefan know whether Damon compelled me or not. For all he could know, Damon had compelled me to deny whatever Stefan had just claimed. I sighed in frustration, and ran my hands through my hair, "Look, I'll be back by tomorrow," hopefully, "And then you can explain to me about Katherine and my connection to her."

I was giving him a chance, he better not screw it up. "Okay," Stefan agreed, "I'm so sorry, Ariana. I truly am. You didn't deserve to find out this way. I promise to explain everything. And, please, be careful around Damon. Be safe. I love you."

My throat tightened. I loved him too, but could I say it? The whole Katherine thing, hadn't been sorted out yet. I needed the whole story, before I could learn to forgive him. Resisting the urge to cry, laugh, or start babbling, I said tightly, "Goodbye, Stefan." And like a big baby, I hung up.

My emotions were everywhere. But, pushing it back down, I turned around, ready to head back towards the bar. I jumped, seeing that someone was right in front of me. My breathing became heavy.

"You okay?" Damon's concerned gaze entrapped me. He seemed to really care.

"I'm fine," I repeated for like the thousandth time today. "Let's just... go back to the bar."

Damon nodded and said softly, "Come on."

He led me back to the bar.

* * *

Back in the bar, Damon had ordered lunch/dinner for us. While he ate his burger and fries, he asked me what it was that made me leave the boarding house. I finally confessed, and told him about me finding the old photo of Katherine. He didn't seemed too surprised that I'd found out. "Do you think that I'm related to Katherine in any way?" I asked him.

He shrugged, "If you were, then that would mean she had a baby before she turned." He shook his head, "Vampires can't procreate."

Good, I thought, this isn't Twilight. I felt uncomfortable with my next question, "Do - do you think that... he was using me... as sort of her... replacement?"

It took a few moments, before he looked at me, and gave me a non-serious answer, "Kinda creepy, if you ask me."

I sighed, and stared at the burger and fries on my plate absently. The music changed, and Damon furrowed his eyebrows at me.

"Why aren't you eating?" He asked me, still munching on his french fries.

I shrugged, "Not hungry." I should be though. After the crash and all of the drama, you'd think that I'd be starving. But really, I felt almost hollow. Damon being there made me feel a bit better, as if I wasn't alone.

"You're a strange human." Damon smirked as he picked up my burger, and took a big bite out of it.

I shook my head in amusement, "Gee, thanks," I said, sarcastically.

He smiled, "It's not necessarily a bad thing. You're... different." He gave me a side-ways glance, and stole a few of my fries.

I pushed the plate towards him, and said, "Here, you can have it all?"

"You sure?"

"Go for it." I assured him, then asked, curious, "How can you even eat? It doesn't make sense."

"Nothing ever really makes sense in this world." He stated, then explained, "As long as I keep a healthy diet of," he paused, "_blood _in my system, my body functions pretty normally." He shrugged, and popped another fry into his mouth.

_Yeah right, normally. _I looked at Damon, and he smiled at me. Everything seemed normal in that second. The background music, people playing pool, Damon and I having lunch, well, he was the only one eating. But, it felt nice. Just to feel... normal. "This is nice," I smiled back, "You're being nice, and... things can almost be normal."

He smiled at me, but our gaze broke when Bree's voice interrupted us, "Here you go." She placed two bottles of beer in front of us.

I looked at the beer questioning, as Damon slid one of the bottles towards me. "If you're not going to eat, then drink." He said, taking a swing out of his own bottle.

"Yeah," I said sarcastically, "'Cause the last time I got drunk turned out to be just _perfect." _

"Oh, come one." He smirked, "Have some fun. It's not gonna kill you."

I rolled my eyes at him, "With you, I just might die." I teased.

"Ouch," he pretended to be hurt, and opened my bottle cap. I sighed. _What the hell, _I shrugged. I lifted up the cool bottle, and tapped it against Damon's in a sort of "cheer". Well, better now when I'm away from others, then back at Mystic Falls. I tasted the beer, and made a face at the bitterness. Damon just smirked at me.

* * *

The night finally came, and more people entered the bar. They gathered around Damon and I, where Bree stood on the other side of the counter, pouring more shots of liquor. I was having fun, and the slight dizziness was bliss. I felt good.

"Ready..." Bree said, once she had passed me, Damon, the other people, and herself each a shot of liquor. "Go!"

We all downed our shots, and I smirked at the burning sensation that had become familiar. I clasped my hands together, and did a little dance near my stool after consuming the alcohol. "That's 3!" I announced to all the drinkers.

Damon coughed, and smirked at me, "You look like you're having fun."

"I am," I replied. "All right. Who's next."

A woman next to me, whose cheeks were pink from the alcohol, pointed to me, and stated, "Honey, you should be on the floor!"

"I am not even drunk." I lied, I was definitely drunk. And might I add, also underaged. Though, no one seemed to really care. "My tolerance is like, way up here." I jumped into the air, and my arm reached above me, as if I could touch the sky.

Damon smiled at me, and questioned, "Who knew such a small girl could handle so much?"

"I am not small." I protested, fake-pouting.

"Well," he shrugged, "You may not be _short, _but you're still very thin."

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes, not sure whether that was a compliment or not.

"All right." Bree said, "Here you go." My eyes lit up as she poured another round of shots. Damon smiled at me in amusement.

* * *

I laughed and did a little victory twirl as my next shot went in. I was playing pool with this other guy, whose name I didn't even know, or remember. My phone rang suddenly, bringing me out of my drunken haze. Answering it, I said, "Hello?"

"Ariana?" Oh, shit. It was Jenna. She'd be wondering where I was. What time was it?

"Excuse me." I said to the guy I was playing pool with. Putting on my leather jacket, I said into the phone, "Jenna! Hold on."

"Ariana, where are you?" She asked me, very worried, "Are you okay?"

I was such a bad niece. Gosh... "Yeah, no, I'm fine. Everything's fine. One sec, hold on." I couldn't hear her very well. Walking out onto the bar porch, the cool air helped clear my head a bit. It was quiet, and very different to the people inside, who were drunk and loud.

"No, it's not fine!" Jenna protested, "I got a call..." Her voice ceased to exist, as I tripped over the stone by the railing, and dropped my phone. I sighed, Jenna must've found out about the car crash, and, well, about me not even being in the same state. Falling onto the wooden floor, I picked up my phone again, and tried to balance myself back into my feet.

Before I could speak to Jenna again, something made me drop my phone. A big hand covered my mouth, and muffled my screams, as I was vampire sped away. Fear set in once I realized that a vampire was carrying me. What did he want from me? To eat me? This would not end well... I sighed, where was Damon when you needed him? And to think that I was joking about dying just a few hours ago. I was sick.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Damon sat at the bar, drinking some beer when Bree came up to him. She poured some more liquor into shot glasses, and asked him, "Hey, where's your girl."

Bree knew where Ariana was, or at least, she knew who had her. But, she wasn't abut to let Damon know. She was mad at him for killing Lexi, and she wanted revenge.

Damon looked around the bar, his eyes scanning for Ariana. The beautiful brunette was no where in sight. He had last saw her playing pool with some other people, but she wasn't there anymore. "Excuse me." He said to Bree, and immediately got up. Sauntering out of the bar, and into the cool night, he was confused as to where she could've gone. She better be okay. His eyes caught sight of a small cell phone on the wooden porch: Ariana's phone.

A gut wrenching feeling twisted his stomach, as he felt shivers of sharp icicles crawl up his neck. He picked up the phone, and glanced around him. Forget being drunk, he was now alert. Shit, where was she? What happened? He needed to find her, now. He was gonna rip the heads off of the people who were responsible for Ariana's sudden disappearance.

Damon walked around the bar building, silently, but quickly. He came across and electrical building behind the bar, when Ariana's voice reached him; "Damon, get out of here!"

But, before he could sigh in relief, find where she was, or question her panicked dialogue, a sudden pain hit him from the side. Aw, hell.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

I watched in horror as Damon fell to the ground, with the vampire who took me, hitting him with a wooden plank repeatedly. I scrambled down from the tank the vampire had placed me on, and ran towards Damon. But I stopped suddenly, once I realized that I couldn't possibly stop what was happening. The vampire stopped attacking for now, but I knew he was far from being done.

"What the hell?!" Damon spat out in pain and anger, curling up a bit. I wanted to help him so bad. "Ariana run!"

"No." I defied him, and my heart started beating faster once I saw that the unknown vampire had come back, this time with a plastic container. Oh no. Gasoline. "No!" I repeated again in panic, as the guy poured the gasoline all over Damon. He was gonna set him on fire. The vampire's face twisted in rage and disgust as he shouted at Damon;

"What did she do to you, huh? What did she do to you?!"

I was so confused, who was he talking about. Did Damon do something wrong. Scratch that. He _always _does something wrong. And now, it was gonna get him killed.

"Nothing." Damon answered, a bit guilty. What was going on?

"Please, tell me," I pleaded with the vampire, tears running down my cheeks, "What did he do?"

"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan," Came his anguished reply. Then, he sneered Damon's name, "And _Damon _killed her, got it?" Picking up an aluminum bat out of nowhere - literally - swung and hit Damon in the back. I winced considerably. Damon grimaced and groaned in pain, rolling over.

Then I made the connection. Lexi. Of course. He must've been talking about Lexi. Why did Damon have to kill her? She was so nice, Stefan's best friend, and now, her boyfriend wanted revenge. The vampire, then lit a match, and I watched the flame. It was the only natural light at that moment. My heart sunk to my stomach, as I racked my brain for a solution to this problem.

"I'm doing you a favor." He said to me, as he was about to let go of the match.

No, he wouldn't be doing me a favor. I cared about Damon, and I wasn't going to watch him get barbecued right in front of me. The tears got caught in my voice as I chocked out a plea, "Please. Don't do this, I'm begging you. Lexi loved you," At least, I was guessing she did, "She was good. Which means you're good. Be better than him. Please, please, don't do this."

I felt sorry for the guy. Damon had just killed his girlfriend. But killing Damon? What would that do? It would only add to the pain. He teared his tortured gaze in my direction, and closed his eyes. His shoulders slumped, and I saw the fight leave him, and fly away. He bent down, picked the half-conscious Damon up, and through him into the concrete building a few meters away. I winced, but kept my gaze on Lexi's vampire boyfriend. "Thank you," I nodded sincerely.

He nodded once, and disappeared. He did have a good soul. But, I believed that deep inside, Damon did too. So he didn't deserve to die either.

Not thinking about it twice, I ran to Damon's side, making sure he'd be okay.

* * *

Finally, finally, finally... Damon was driving us back to Mystic Falls. I felt so relieved when I was sure he'd be alright. After the attack, I was afraid he wouldn't make it. But, that was stupid of me. He was a vampire, and his wounds had healed quickly. I was just happy he was alive. Well, sorta alive, I guess.

"So," I turned to Damon, and asked, "Why did you decide to bring me with you?" I still wasn't sure what it was he was trying to accomplish in Georgia, but, I didn't really care. Right now, I could almost be happy. If, t weren't for the many problems still back in my town.

"Well," He smirked at me, "You were there in the road, all damsel-in-distress like. And, I knew it would piss off Stefan." I rolled my eyes at that. Damon was such a jerk to his brother, "And... you're a fun person to be around with, Ariana."

That felt good. At least I wasn't completely boring to hang out with. "I used to be more fun." I stated, "Before all the drama that's happened in my life."

Especially before my parent's death. That was a huge toll on me.

"Well, I had fun." Damon smiled.

"Yeah?" I teased, "Even the whole 'getting beat up by a vampire' thing?"

"Hey," He said, "In my defense, I could've totally beat him if my mind wasn't occupied with other things."

"And what were those things?" I asked him, still humorous.

He smirked at me, "Trying to find out where you were and all. You suddenly disappeared, without a trace. And _that _would definitely piss off Stefan."

I shook my head playfully and giggled.

* * *

Everything turned serious once we got back to Mystic Falls. I needed to talk to Stefan, so after wishing me good luck, Damon dropped me off at the boarding house, and drove off to what I assumed would be towards the Mystic Grill.

I felt anxious the entire way up to the boarding house. I remained silent, not really looking forward to making my presence known. But, I couldn't put it off forever. Walking nervously to Stefan's room, I took a deep breath and knocked on the open door frame. Stefan, from where he was sitting in his desk chair, snapped his head up, took one glance at me, and was out of his seat.

"Hi." He said to me. He didn't move though, and nor did I.

"Hi," I said back. "You promised to explain."

He nodded, "I did. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I answered, and he visibly relaxed. He seemed relieved to see me there, and away from his brother. I walked closer to him, my heels echoing through the room ominously. I stopped a few feet away from him, and he looked at me, then began.

"Ariana, you are not Katherine. You are the opposite of everything that she was. Where she was the darkness, you are the light. You make me feel alive, and it's effortless for you. Please, you have to understand that."

He looked so vulnerable, that I felt like forgiving him right then. But, there were more questions to answer. "If that's true, then when did you realize that?" I asked him, "When you see me, who do think of?"

"You're not her," He assured me, "I knew that you were completely different, from before we officially met."

That caught me off guard. I blinked a few times, and asked, "What do you mean?"

He stared at me intensely, then explained further, "The first day of school - when we met...it wasn't for the first time, Ariana."

I shook my head, confused. Where was this going? Did he mean that we had met sometime before? Then, how did I not remember? It would be difficult to forget someone like Stefan. Unless... unless he compelled me.

"The first time we met..." Stefan continued, "...was May 23, 2009."

My heart stopped. That was...I gulped...the day...no. How?

"The was the day your parents' car went off the bridge." Stefan said, once it was obvious that I wouldn't be replying to this new information. "Every couple of years I come back here, to see Zach and see my home. Last spring, I was out in the woods, by old Wickery Bridge. And I heard the accident. All of it." I think I made a weird choking sound from the back of my throat, but I couldn't be sure. I was too focused on this new information which Stefan had sent my way. "I was fast getting there, but not fast enough. The car was... already submerged. Your dad was still... he was still concious. I was able to get to him, but he wouldn't let me help him... until I helped you."

I started crying near the end of his explanation. My dad, he... He saved me. Stefan saved me. He was there when we were about to die, but he had saved me. I wasn't sure if I should've been grateful, or angry, that Stefan had saved me. My dad could have lived. My parents. But I guess... that wasn't what he had wanted. I choked out another sob, and sniffled as I said, "When I woke up in the hospital... nobody could figure out how I got out of the car. They said it was a miracle."

"I went back for them," Stefan said, almost as if he was in pain too, "But it was too late. I couldn't- I couldn't save them." I looked down, and more tears ran down my face. Stefan tried his best, and I was very grateful. "When I pulled you out, I looked at your face. You looked like Katherine. I couldn't believe the resemblance." A pause. "After that, I spent months making sure you weren't her. I watched you. I learned everything that I could about you. And I saw that you were _nothing _like Katherine." I felt myself warm a bit at that. Stefan had stayed and watched over me, just to make sure that I was not Katherine. It made me believe him. "And I wanted to leave town, but, Ariana, I couldn't. I couldn't leave without knowing you. I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you. I wanted to. But... you seemed so sad. I couldn't just drop something like this on you. And even now... I'm so sorry."

I nodded, indicating that I accepted his apology. He saved my life, and tried to save my parents. And then, he made sure that I didn't act like Katherine, whom, I assumed, wasn't a very nice person. He was a good guy, but there was still a question left unanswered. "Why is the resemblance between the two of us so immaculate?"

"Ariana," Stefan said, in the same tortured voice, "You've been through so much."

I pushed all the pain and anger down, and pleaded, "Please. Please tell me."

Stefan hesitated, then responded, "It didn't make any sense to me. You were a Gilbert. She was a Pierce. But, the resemblance was too similar. And then I learned the truth." He paused, then said, "You and your sister were adopted, Ariana." My breath caught.

* * *

I shook all over, and Stefan had to lead me onto a couch in his room to keep me from falling over. "How did you learn all this?" I asked Stefan, still shocked and even a bit horrified. How was this possible? How could I grow up my whole life, and just now learn that Elena and I were adopted. I didn't want to accept it. My parents had always been my parents, the ones who helped and cared for me. For us to have actually been adopted... it wasn't believable. It was impossible, yet, it was the truth.

"Your birth certificate from the city records. It says Ariana Gilbert, Mystic Falls General." Stefan replied, then shook his head, "But there's no record of your mother ever being admitted. There's no record of her ever being pregnant."

"What about Elena?" I asked.

"Same with her. 'Elena Gilbert'." He answered, "For me to go any further, I would've had to look in the Pierce family, and I couldn't do that. It's too much of a risk. If someone found out I was asking about Katherine..." His tone suddenly changed. His voice was still soft, but he now looked directly into my eyes, capturing me with his gaze. He looked to be on the brink of tears as he placed his hand on my knee, relaxing me. "Listen to me, it doesn't matter. You are the woman I love. I love you."

At that moment, I knew it was true. He didn't love me because of my ancestor Katherine, he loved me for who _I _was. "I love you too," I said, and we kissed. The electricity surged through us again, just like it did all the other times. Stefan really did care for me. He had saved my life, and for that, of course, I would always be grateful. But, I loved him with all my heart. And I believed that we could be together, always.

I started crying again, and Stefan wrapped his arms around me, as I buried my face into his chest. I let it all out. The pain, confusion, anger, betrayal, and hurt. How was I gonna explain all this to Elena, when the time comes? Or Jenna? Did she know this whole time?

* * *

Entering my own house, I saw Jenna's head whip around to glare at me from the couch. Putting down the magazine she was reading, she stood up angrily, and walked towards me. I sighed as she said, "I don't set a lot of rules, Ariana. Not with you. I trust you to tell me the truth. Where were you? Why would you lie to me about it? I thought we were closer than that."

Was she serious right now. I asked, "Are we close, Jenna? I thought I could trust you to tell me everything, too."

"What are you talking about?" She questioned.

Taking a deep breath, I asked, "Are Elena and I adopted?"

I saw Jenna's face turn from angry guardian, to disbelief. "How did you - they told me not to tell you two."

Great. Awesome. I just learnt that my closest Aunt had been lying to me this entire time. Elena. Do I tell her? "Jenna," I started, "I really don't know what to think right now. So, I'm gonna go to bed, before I say anything I might regret.

So walking up the stairs, I quickly went into my room, deciding not to tell Elena. Not yet.

* * *

**Sorry I haven't updated in almost a week. But, I do have a lot going on. With school, Thanksgiving parties, exams, and everything else. So, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter/episode. If you liked it, or hated it, please tell me through my reviews. Thank you!**

**-Spiralcloud**


	13. Unpleasantville

**UNPLEASANTVILLE**

Stefan and I lied on my bed together, talking about the few previous days. I explained to him about my recent car accident, and how it had happened. I told him about going to Georgia, and the bar outside of Atlanta. But, I stopped talking about it once I realized how uncomfortable Stefan was with talking about Damon. "There was..." I began, "...a guy on the road. I think he was a vampire."

"Do you remember anything else about him?" Stefan asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

I shook my head, "I couldn't see his face, it was covered by his hoodie." I shivered as I thought about the fear, and how he was walking towards me. "He would have gotten to me, if not for Damon saving me."

Stefan nodded tensely, as if he didn't want to admit that Damon had done something good. His head snapped up, as if he just remembered something. "I bought some vervain for, um - for you and Jenna." He grabbed a box from the end of my bed. I sat up straight, as he opened up the vintage box. "Here's your necklace." He handed me the familiar beautiful silver locket.

"Thanks." I said.

"May I?" He asked, unclasping the strand of silver.

"Of course, thank you." I said, turning around, so that he could place the necklace back around my neck. I automatically felt safer once it was back on. Turning around to face a smiling Stefan, he continued to search through the box.

Inside the box ranged from loose vervain to old pieces of jewelry. He picked up a black wristband, and said, "I made this vervain bracelet for Jeremy," After handing me the wristband, he picked up another bracelet. This one was black too, but it was thinner, and on the end was a small silver bead. "This can be for Elena." He gave that one to me too. Picking up a piece of vervain, he said, "You can put it in jewelry, or you can even put it in food or drink, but as long as it's in you or on you, a vampire cannot control you." He gently grabbed a vial full of transparent yellow liquid, and placed it in my palm. I was guessing this was vervain too. I observed the inside of the box, to see more pieces of jewelry and vervain. I needed to remember to give the rest to Jenna, Caroline, Bonnie, and others so that they're protected. They couldn't know about vampires though. I had to keep that a secret.

Placing the bracelets back down onto my bed, I leaned into Stefan to hug him. He hugged me back, and I said gratefully, "Thank you, Stefan."

"Your welcome. You're gonna need it, at least until we find out who the vampire is and what he wants." He pulled back, to look me in the eye. "You have to be careful."

I nodded, "I will."

* * *

After Stefan left, I took my time carefully rationing the vervain, and putting it into the jewelry. I found a heart shaped necklace. Caroline would love to wear it if I gave it to her. Elena had ordered pizza about twenty minutes ago, so I wasn't surprised when he yelled up at me from downstairs. "Ariana, I need the money! Hurry up!"

I placed the box full of vervain under my bed, and grabbed my purse from my window seat. I walked down the stairs, taking out twenty five dollars. The pizza guy smiled, and I wondered where the pizza was. From the corner of my eye, I saw Elena and Jeremy eating the pizza from a cardboard box. Rolling my eyes, I handed the guy the cash.

"Hi," I greeted, "Sorry about my brother and sister. Keep the change."

He took it, and said, "Thanks. And it's okay. You have yourself a good night." He smiled, and walked out back through the front door. I smiled back, and closed the door. A shiver ran down my spine, yet I wasn't sure what had caused it.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Stefan walked into the Salvatore boarding house library, where books were strewn haphazardly across the room. As he entered the library, he saw Damon there, looking through the books on the shelves and throwing them across the floor, as if they weren't hundreds of years old, and easily breakable. Stefan stopped walking, and asked his older brother, "What are you looking for, Damon?"

"Not your concern," Came his stiff reply. His hands continued to throw aside books.

"No, but putting Ariana in harm's way, that is my concern." Stefan stated.

Damon flipped through a book, almost as if he was ignoring Stefan, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Atlanta." Stefan responded, tense.

"Oh yeah," Damon looked up at Stefan from his book, and smirked, enjoying Stefan's uneasiness. "Ariana and I had a blast. We got drunk, and partied all night."

Stefan glared at him, his teeth clenching. Damon's eyes challenged him. Stefan smiled without humor, "I get it. You're just bitter because one of us gets to be with Ariana, while poor Katherine is just out of reach. Unless, there's another way for you to get into that tomb. Is that what Bree said?"

Damon narrowed his eyes at Stefan, "Trying to taunt me because of jealousy. You're pathetic when you're fishing."

"And you're transparent when you're deflecting." Stefan retorted.

Damon smiled humorlessly, and asked, changing the subject, "Don't you have school?" He grabbed another book off the shelf, as Stefan walked out of the room. Damon looked up at Stefan's retreating figure, and smirked, "Say 'hi' to Ariana for me." Stefan's steps faltered a bit, and he pushed down his anger as he drove to school.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Caroline and I walked out onto the front courtyard at lunch. She kept glancing and fiddling with the new vervain necklace I had given her, thanks to Stefan. This way, she'll be protected. "It's so pretty!" Caroline repeated, "Thank you. God, it'll go with, like, everything! What's the occasion!" She narrowed her eyes playfully.

I shrugged, "No occasion. It's a gift for my best friend." Caroline couldn't stop beaming as we chose a table to sit on for lunch. She sat across from me and smirked, as she asked, "Lesbian friend necklace? Cause we're freaky like that?" She winked at me sarcastically.

Rolling my eyes, I said truthfully, "Your friendship is very important to me. And look," I held up my own silver necklace, "We're matching, sort of."

Caroline smiled, "Why are you being so mushy?"

"Caroline," I said, looking her straight in the eye, "I want you to know that whatever you and Matt have going on is okay with me. You don't need my permission." I had heard that they had been spending time together, and I was truly happy for them.

"I wanted to talk to you about that," Caroline shrugged, "But there's nothing to say. Matt and I... we're not a couple, I mean, we're friends, but... there seems to be no romance." She gave me a look, "This is weird, isn't it? Talking to you about this. It's really weird."

I shook my head, "It's not weird Caroline. If this is what you and Matt want, then it's not about me. You guys deserve to be happy."

"But it's all about you," Caroline retorted with a huff, "Matt's not over you, and we all know it. It's obvious."

I sighed, "I'm with Stefan now. Matt understands this. You can help him move on." My heart tightened when I spoke. I wanted Matt and Caroline to be happy. They were my friends, and I couldn't bear to see them hurt. I took out my yogurt as a distraction. Caroline kept glancing at me, unconvinced. I sighed mentally. Matt will learn to move on, he had to.

* * *

I met up with Bonnie for dinner at the Grill. I decided to tell her about me being adopted. I knew that it was strange for me to tell Bonnie, and not Elena. But, for me to have told someone, the'd have to already know about vampires, and Bonnie was also someone who was close to me. I could trust her.

"I can't believe you and Elena are adopted." She said for the millionth time, "I never saw that coming."

"Me neither," I admitted, "I then looked at my birth certificate, and it lists Miranda and Grayson Gilbert as my birthparents. But, it doesn't make any sense." I wondered how no one had suspected that my mom, whom had never given birth to me or Elena, could have gotten away with being our birth parents. It helped, I guess, that my "dad" was a doctor.

"So, you should ask Jenna," Bonnie suggested.

I mentally groaned. I knew that Jenna was just listening to my parents, but, it did hurt that she didn't tell me the truth. I felt like it made us grow further apart. Also, did I really want to ask questions? It seemed safer just to, I don't know, go along with it. I looked away from Bonnie, and bit my lip.

"Come on." Bonnie gave me a look, "First of all, the Ariana I know would always want the truth, good or bad." I sighed. In this case, I didn't know if I really wanted the truth, "Second of all, you just found out that your boyfriend is a," she dropped her voice, leaned in, and whispered, "_vampire. _So, unless your birthparents are aliens; How bad could it be?" I laughed. Bonnie could always make me feel better. "Hey, are you planning on telling Elena?"

I sighed. "I don't think I can, Bonnie." I whispered, "She still doesn't know about... everything. If I was to tell her now about her being adopted, she'd want answers. And right now, I wouldn't be able to give them to her." I felt guilty, keeping secrets from my family and friends. Besides Bonnie, of course.

Bonnie nodded understandably, and asked, "Are you planning on telling Elena and Jeremy?"

I shook my head, "Not yet. When the time is right, they'll know. For now... I think it's safer if they're kept in the dark." Bonnie nodded, agreeing with me. I smiled, and decided to make the conversation lighter by changing the subject. "Caroline will kill me for not going to the dance. So I need to do buy some accessories for my outfit. I'm sorry to leave you." This year was the "50's decade dance".

"Oh, it's fine," She said, flicking her wrist. "I'll pay the bill."

I beamed, "Thanks, Bonnie, I'll pay next time." I grabbed my purse and got up. "Bye."

"Bye." Bonnie gave me a little wave as she stood up as well, walking in the opposite direction to pay. I smiled, as I walked out of the bar. Hopefully, this dance could help take my mind off things for now.

* * *

Walking out of the Mystic Grill, I took out my car keys, and pressed a button on it, unlocking the car that Jenna was letting me borrow. The night parking lot was deserted expect for the few cars lined up. My phone rang, and I retrieved it from my purse, pressing the "answer" button. I continued to walk towards the car, as I said into my phone, "Hello."

"Hello, Ariana." Came a strange voice from the other end. He was male, but, that's about all I could tell.

"Hey," I said, confused, "Who's this?"

"You hit me with your car." The voice answered. I froze. No, it couldn't be. Was this the... vampire? How did he know me? What did he want? "Is that a new one?" Was he here? Oh, my, god. Against my better judgement, I looked behind me, and saw a guy approaching me, holding his phone up to his ear...and he had a black hoodie on. I gasped in fear as I sprinted to my car, having some trouble opening it because I was shaking. It wasn't from the cold. "You got away from me. You won't next time."

I freaked out, and ripped the car door open. Falling onto the driver's seat, I closed the door, and stuck my key into the ignition. I put the car in reverse, and sped down the parking lot, right past the taunting vampire. My breathing hitched, and my heart thumped loudly against my chest the entire way to the boarding house.

* * *

I sat on the couch in the boarding house library, while Stefan paced back and forth behind me, listening intently as I told the story. After a while, I asked, "Is there a reason he's following me? Did I do something? And if he is after me... then why would he call?" I didn't want to know how he found out my phone number either, it gave me shivers.

Stefan walked around the couch so he could face me. He looked uncomfortable, as he said, "You didn't do anything wrong, but...We're predators, Ariana. We hunt. We stalk. It's often as exciting as the kill." I took a deep breath. Was this unknown vampire going to torture me? Why me? One problem after another... Stefan took something off of a nearby table, and handed it to me. "I want you to take this."

He sat down in front of me, as I hesitantly took the round object from his hands. It was cool to the touch, and I recognized it. "This is Jeremy's pocket watch." I was confused. How did he get it?

"I took it from Damon, who took it from Logan, who must have taken it from you," Stefan answered my thoughts. Logan took it? Was he using Jenna? Well, he's dead now...

I opened up the watch, and looked at the insides confused. Instead of the familiar clock and hands that would usually be there, it was replaced by just one spinning arrow. As if it were a compass. But, it kept moving, like it couldn't decided which way was north. "It's a compass." I said, confused.

"Yeah, sort of," Stefan replied. "Logan must have changed it. It's not just a watch, it - it points to vampires."

Before I could question him, he took my hands in his own, and tilted the "compass" at an angle, so that it was kinda flat. The one thick needle whirled around in a jerking way, before it finally clicked. It stopped, pointing at Stefan. I gasped in shock. Wow. It really did point to vampires. Then, I realized how stupid I sounded. There were vampires and witched, why not magic compasses that help to find vampires?

Something else confused me though, "Why did my father have it?" Or my adoptive father, either way.

"Gilberts were one of the founding families, and back in 1864, they were among those who sought to eradicate the vampires." He said. "The compass was used to find us."

So, my family was known for killing vampires. I wasn't sure if that was despicable, or admirable. "Did you know them?" I asked him.

"Yes." He responded, but, it seemed as if he felt guilty for something. "I want you to keep this. That way, you'll know if you're ever in danger."

"Thank you," I smiled. He was looking out for my safety, as always.

"Your welcome," He caressed my cheek, and leaned in. The electricity sparked again as he kissed me. We just sat there in the library, looking into each others eyes. They said things that could never be expressed with words.

* * *

The next night was the 50's decade dance. I walked downstairs into my kitchen to see Jenna cleaning up in the living room. She wore a cute orange-and-pink plaid dress, bright red lipstick, neon jewelry, and her hair was up in a high ponytail. "Spoke to the insurance company." She spoke first, not meeting my eyes, "Car's totaled. You can keep using mine for now."

I was grateful that Jenna was letting me borrow her car. I looked at her outfit, and asked, "You coming to the dance?"

Jenna smiled, "Alaric asked me to help chaperone." It was obvious that her and my History teacher had a "thing" for each other. Though it was kinda weird, I was happy for them. Jenna walked around the couch to face me.

Changing the subject suddenly, I asked, "Why didn't you tell me, Jenna?"

I knew she'd know what I was talking about. Truthfully, I still felt frustrated that she had never told me that Elena and I were adopted. She seemed surprised by my sudden change, but she replied, "Your mom was gonna do it eventually. I never thought I'd have to."

That only made me feel more frustrated. I kinda wanted to yell at her, and tell her that my mom was dead. But, I wouldn't. That would only create more problems, not solve them. "Please, Jenna, tell me the truth."

She looked at me for a few minutes, then sighed. She looked down, then glanced back up to me, and began her story, "Your dad was about to leave the office one night when... this girl showed up. She was sixteen, a runaway, and about to give birth. He delivered her babies, they were twins, and he gave her a place to stay. But a few days later, she disappeared. And there you two were. Your parents were trying so hard to have a baby. I - it just wasn't happening. All Miranda ever wanted was to be a mom."

I took in the story in silence. So our mother was sixteen, and that's all I knew. No father, nothing else.

Jenna continued, "They didn't want to lose you two, so they it quiet, told as few people as possible. But, if they ever wanted proof, they had documentation, your birth certificates'."

I got it now. That's what Stefan had told me as well. That's why no one else knew Elena nor I were adopted. "Do you know anything else about the girl?" I asked Jenna, referring to my mother. I wanted to know her, yet, I also didn't. Would I like what I'd find? She gave us away, but I get why she did it. She was sixteen, and being with not one, but two babies she gave birth to, would not make her life easier.

"Just her name." Jenna replied, "Isobel."

That was a nice name. "Jenna?" I asked her, not sure how to say it, "Should - should I tell Elena?"

Jenna gave me a smile, "It's your choice, honey. But...when she finds out, I don't think she'll be as civil as you have been."

That was true. Who knows how Elena would react. She's already been through so much, I didn't need to cover her with another blanket of lies. She didn't need to find out. When the time was right, I'd tell my remaining family everything. From vampires, to witches, to being adopted, and anything else that may be added along the way. They'd find out, soon enough.

* * *

I twirled in front of my mirror, and smiled. I really did look like I was from the 50's. I had on a black silk halter top dress that reached my knees, with a heart shaped neck-line, and matching black high-heeled shoes. A thick red belt wrapped tight around my waist, making the bottom of my dress flare out a bit. I tied up my hair in a bun, with curls hanging out from the ends and the ones which framed my face. I added some silver earrings, a ring, my vervain necklace (which I always wear), a charm bracelet, and a red hair clip.

I walked into my bathroom, wanting to add another clip in place, when I heard a noise. I went out into the hallway, but no one was there. "Jenna? Jeremy?" I asked into the deserted hallway. There came no reply. Confused, I turned around, and heard the noise again. This time, it was more distinct. The sound of clicking. My eyes moved to the vampire compass on my bed, as I walked slowly over to it. Yep, it was spinning. Shoot. I picked it up quickly, and stared at the moving arrow. Please tell me there wasn't a vampire here. I grabbed my phone from my desk, and dialed Stefan's number.

Clipping the red clip into my hair, I carefully, yet quickly, strode down the stairs, my eyes darting anxiously from side to side as I entered the ground level hallway. The compass kept spinning, as if deciding my fate.

Someone answered, but it wasn't Stefan, "Stefan's phone. How may I help you?" At least it was Damon.

"Where is he?" I asked nervously, "Is he okay?"

"I don't know, Ariana." I could almost hear his smirk, "He's on his way to you. Forgot his phone."

I halted, and sighed in relief. I was worrying too much. Everything's okay, Stefan's okay. "Thank God. This compass was spinning. I guess Stefan's here. Thank you, Damon."

"Your welcome, Ariana." He said. I smiled, and hung up. Then, something from behind me thudded onto the ground. I whirled around and gasped in fear as I saw fangs extend from a vampire's mouth. I recognized him, it was the pizza delivery guy. I screamed, preparing myself for the sharp pain I knew I would feel.

"Ariana!" A terrified yell came from the kitchen, as something blurred in front of me. Stefan. He threw the vampire across the room and over the couch. I fell down from the impact, dropping the compass and my phone. Before Stefan could attack again, the vampire sped out of my house. Stefan immediately dashed over to me, and helped me up. My breathing was heavy as Stefan embraced me, trying to comfort me. I was shaking from fear and shock. I held onto him as if he was my life force, and in a way, he was. "Are you okay?" Stefan asked, frightened for me, "Are you okay?" I could barely nod.

* * *

I looked straight ahead as I sat on the living room couch. Stefan sat beside me, his hands wrapped around me, trying to sooth me. After retrieving my phone and the compass, he called Damon. Damon arrived only a few minutes later, and now, he paced around the living room. "How the hell did he get in?" He asked Stefan, though he looked at both of us.

"He was invited in." I said, knowing I'd have to explain the story again to the other Salvatore brother. The vampire's invitation was not only a threat to me, but Jenna, Elena, and Jeremy as well.

"He posed as a pizza delivery guy last night." Stefan responded, before I could.

"Well, he gets points for that." Damon said, "Did he say what he wanted?"

I shook my head, "No,"

Stefan glared at Damon accusingly, "And you have no idea who this is?"

"No." Damon answered, while Stefan kept glaring at him, unconvinced, "Don't look at me like that. I told you we had company."

"Are there other vampires?" I asked. If there were, they could be a harm to the entire town. How was I supposed to keep everyone safe? There was an answer: I couldn't. What was I gonna do?

"We don't know." Damon replied. Damon finally stopped pacing, and sat on the arm of the couch, closest to me.

"Damon, he was invited in." Stefan said to Damon, who nodded understandingly. I felt like I was being left out of an inside joke. Whatever they were agreeing to, I had no idea what is was.

"Then we go get him tonight." Damon said, and I finally got what they were saying. Were they going to kill the anonymous vampire? I hoped not. I wasn't heartless. Damon turned to me, and said, "You up for it."

It was either the vampire, or my friends and family whom I loved and cared for. "Sure. What do I have to do?"

"Let your boyfriend take you to the dance. We'll see who shows up."

"That's a bad idea." Stefan spoke up.

"Till we get him, this house isn't safe." Damon looked at me again. "For _anyone _who lives in it." He shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

"I'll do it." I agreed. I needed to protect my family. Hopefully, Stefan and Damon would be safe, I believed in them. Stefan still looked anxious and unwilling to compromise. "I'll be okay." I rubbed his arm, wanting him to be comfortable with this. Or, at least, semi-comfortable.

"We'll protect you." Damon said to me, and then looked to Stefan. They shared a look, before Stefan finally succumbed, and nodded.

* * *

At the dance, I stood by the punch bowl table, nervously fiddling with my earring as I looked out for any unrecognizable faces. So far: no progress. But the dance was awesome. Caroline did an amazing job. Lights shone from the ceiling and walls, casting colorful shadows against the dancing students, whom were dressed in the 50's wear. Caroline and Bonnie approached me, and I gave them a warm smile, as I asked, "Having fun?"

"No, but this took about two hours," Caroline replied, pointing to her yellow cardigan, with flowers sewn into it, "So I'm at least staying half of it."

I laughed, and rolled my eyes. She laughed with me. How could she not like the dance, she helped decorate it. Bonnie looked behind me, distracted. "What's Damon doing here?" She asked, not so nicely.

Caroline looked straight ahead, and I turned around, seeing Damon and Stefan standing side by side, their eyes searching for someone. I knew who that someone was, the vampire. I turned back around, and replied, "He wanted to come. Don't worry, he'll behave, he promised."

"So, what is this, like a threesome now?" Caroline raised her eyebrows, "You and the Salvatore brothers?"

I gave Caroline a look, "No, I'm with Stefan, and Damon just happens to be his brother. I'm not gonna hate him or kill him."

Bonnie didn't take her eyes off Damon, as she hummed, "There's a thought."

"Mmm." Caroline agreed, narrowing her eyes at Damon, "I'll help." They clinked their plastic cups full of punch, as I looked down at the ground, smiling. They weren't serious, obviously, but that's what made their comments funny.

* * *

Stefan and I approached Damon who was watching Bonnie and Caroline walk away from him. I looked to Damon, he must have said something to them that made my friends uncomfortable. Damon turned around, as Stefan asked him, "What did you say to them?"

"I was perfectly polite." Damon defended. His eyes turned to me, and he smirked as he asked, "Ariana... Would you like to dance?"

He was asking me to dance? Um... I did want to dance, but I had come with Stefan. Shrugging, I opened my mouth to say "yes" when Stefan took my hand. "Actually, she can't, because she's dancing with me." Stefan said, leading me away from Damon. My mouth popped open, and I stared at Damon blankly as Stefan and I got to the middle of the dance floor. Damon glared at Stefan sourly, but he ignored the look. Stefan twirled me around, breaking my gaze from Damon. He pulled me towards him and smiled as we swayed to the music.

"Wow," I remarked to Stefan teasingly, "Way to ditch your brother."

He just shrugged and said, "He'll get over it. Anyways, we have more important things on our minds right now."

My hands rested on his broad shoulders, while his secured my hips close to him. Stefan's eyes kept darting around the room as we danced. He was searching for the vampire. I did the same, looking past his shoulder to the back walls and entrance ways. Nothing. No sign of anybody who wasn't a student, chaperone, or teacher.

"So," I said, trying to lighten the mood, and smirked, "I wonder how you looked back in the 50's. I bet you looked great."

Stefan moved his gaze from behind me, so he could look into my eyes. He smiled, and said, "Considering I don't age, I probably looked the same."

I playfully smacked his arm as he grinned wider, "That's not what I meant." I giggled, and changed the subject. I already knew Stefan must have looked awesome, no matter what he wore. "What was it like back then?"

He shrugged, "McCarthyism. Segregation. Nuclear arms race."

"You make it sound like the entire decade was horrible or something." I said it with a smile. "There were poodle skirts, right?"

"Yes. There were poodle skirts." He leaned his forehead closer to mine, and said softly, "I didn't get a chance to say it before, but... you look beautiful."

I smiled, and looked down, a bit embarrassed. I complimented, "You look amazing, too." I rested my head on his shoulder, as he continued to search the room. This night would have been perfect, if not for the real reason of why we were here.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Damon watched his little brother and Ariana from off the dance floor. She looked spectacular in her black fifties dress, but, then again, she always looked like a goddess. He was protecting her, making sure to look out for anybody who looked suspicious. He tried to not let jealousy seep into him, but that was hard to do. Instead, he focused on the important matter, which was, finding and killing this vampire who was stalking Ariana.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Still swaying on the dance floor, Stefan and I were still looking out for the vampire. "Maybe he's not gonna show." I mused hopefully. Though, when have any of my hopeful thoughts turned into reality. Mmm... yeah, never.

"You mean we all did this dancing for nothing?" Stefan asked, humoring me. I enjoyed dancing with him today, and I knew he felt the same towards me. It was fun, and exciting. Bring on the next dance! Just spending time with Stefan, any time at all, was amazing.

"Ahh." I replied sarcastically, "The horror." I giggled against his chest.

He smiled at me, but then his tone changed, "I'm really sorry for all this."

He was referring to the vampire stuff. But, I didn't care about all this. I didn't care if I got hurt in this process. I loved Stefan, and I wanted to be with him. I just hoped that my friends weren't threatened by the same things that I was threatened with. I smile at Stefan, and said, "Don't be. I chose to be here, and I don't regret my decision. I want to be with you. So, don't apologize for anything."

Stefan still looked guilty. The song changed into a faster one. The beat accelerated, and I flashed Stefan a bright smile as I grabbed his hands, and started to twist my hips to the music. Stefan continued to remain still though, as he looked at me in amusement.

"Show me how it's done in the fifties." I told Stefan, wanting to take his mind off of the whole "vampire danger thing". Stefan shook his head, as I continued to nod persistently. He still shook his head. "Fine," I said, "Then I'll go find Damon. Perhaps he'll show me some of his moves." I wasn't actually going to ask Damon, but, I knew Stefan would dance with me after that comment. I turned around, as if I was actually going to walk off the dance floor, when I felt him grab my hands.

He twirled me back to him, and I smiled as he picked me up, and dipped me. The sensation of the wind against me made me feel alive. He then threw me into the air again, and dipped me on the other side. Holding me there for a moment, I was thoroughly surprised. He had moves. He pulled me back onto my feet, grabbed my face, and kissed me with intense passion.

See, he was having fun now. His eyes sparkled as he pulled me back a bit, and his smile was huge. "Now you remember that, because it's never gonna happen again." He said to me.

I giggled as he kissed me again. I was happy that he was having fun with me. I could almost forget about the problems in my life. Almost...

* * *

Stefan and I stood against a table, taking a break from all the dancing. I shook my head and tried to contain my laughter as I saw Damon dance with a girl, while groping her bottom. They glided across the dance floor, Damon acting all dramatic.

"He's having fun." I said to Stefan, still giggling.

"Yeah..." Stefan said, then smirked, "And you wanted to dance with him."

"Hey," I defended, "I wanted you to have fun. Aren't you having fun?"

He smiled, and placed his hand over mine, which was resting on the wooden table. He looked into my eyes, and said, "Of course I am."

I smiled, and left his eyes only for a second, but it was enough. My eyes were not deceiving me, there was a guy in a black hoodie. He stood in the back corner, and I recognized him as the vampire who had tried to attack me. Seriously? I couldn't be left alone for one day? Gosh..."Stefan, back corner," I said fearfully, my eyes glued to the ground.

Stefan turned around, but, the vampire no longer stood where he was a few seconds ago. He was nowhere in sight. Stefan ordered sternly, no longer smiling, "Get Damon."

I nodded, as Stefan left me, walking out of the huge room full of laughing students. But, they didn't know the dangers that lurked in every shadow. _Please, don't hurt the students,_ I wanted to plea to the vampire.

I wandered around the dance floor, my eyes looking around, trying to search for a certain vampire. Where was Damon? He was right in front of me a second ago, dancing with the student. I sighed. My phone rang suddenly, and I almost didn't hear it above the speakers blasting music. I took it out of the garter strap I was wearing on my upper thigh, where people couldn't see above the hem of my dress, and pressed the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Ariana." Came the voice I heard outside the Grill the other day. It still sent shivers down my spine, making the warm and lively room feel cold and dead. It stopped me completely, as I felt my face drain of color. "Here's what you're going to do." I looked around the room frantically, searching for the source of this voice. "There's an exit door behind you. You have five seconds, or, your brother and sister die."

No. Jeremy. Elena. Where did I last see them? Oh! By the punch bowl. My brother was serving punch to others while Elena was handing out snacks. The reason being was for extra credit, or something. Jeremy didn't dress up, but Elena, on the other hand wore a blue shirt, black jeggings, white sneakers, and her hair was held up by a headband. They wore smiles on their faces, oblivious to the dangers that hung around them. I spotted the vampire a few feet behind them, his phone to his ear.

He smirked devilishly at me, and said, "You know, you look a lot like your sister. But, you're obviously hotter, and more fun to play with."

Ignoring that last comment, my eyes wide, I begged, "Please, don't hurt them."

"Then keep walking," He said, his eyes glancing over to the exit door. Reluctantly, I started moving my foot in front of the other, "Through the door."

I walked backwards until I was right below the exit sign, and became more anxious as the vampire walked towards me, his movements swift and lethal. He passed my siblings, without so much as looking at them, and I gave a silent sigh of relief. His eyes were trained on me, getting closer with each step. I've never been a particularly a violent person, but I wasn't going down without a fight. If he thought that he could just waltz right up and into my life to kill me, well, he was dead wrong.

Hanging up my phone, and strapping it back into my garter, I ran into the hallway, trying to erase the way he looked at me; as if I was some sort of new toy. The music left my ears, as my hard breathing replaced the sound, sprinting farther away. I ran into a different corridor, and turned my head to see the vampire there, walking but somehow keeping in pace with me. What? Fear coursed through my veins. I tried opening the huge doors, but they wouldn't budge. Running up to a set of double doors, when I pushed, it gave way.

I ran into the cafeteria, and tried opening the doors on the other side. No such luck. Before I could move again, I felt someone grab me. I screamed as the vampire threw me across the room, like a rag doll. I slammed right into the wall, landing on my hands and knees. Well, now my dress and shoes were ruined. I almost laughed at how petty that sounded. Dizzily getting up, the vampire was there again, right in front of me. I tried stumbling away pathetically, but he only grabbed me by the waist, and pulled me back. He vamp sped us until my back was pressed up against the cold cafeteria table. He hovered above me, a dark glint in his eyes. Okay, this position was way to intimate for my liking.

His weight crushed me, making me immobile, as his hands pinned mine above my head on the table. He leaned in, and I shivered as his cold tongue traced my lips. I wished it was disgusting, but there was something about vampires that drew me towards them, even ones trying to end my life. But, I wasn't totally hypnotized. I struggled uselessly against him as his breath tickled me next to my ear. He whispered, "I hope I don't kill you," I screamed again as I saw his face transform, and his fangs extend.

Before he could bite me, Stefan appeared. He ripped the unknown vampire away from me, and he tumbled to the floor. Stefan stood in front of me, his eyes glinting in anger as his arms rose at his sides, protecting me. He faced the vampire with a growl. How much of the scene did he see? I promptly got back up on my, but I didn't dare move any closer to the vampire.

Damon suddenly stood behind the vampire, his face contorted in anger too. "Hey, dickhead," he announced to the vampire, as he blurred in front of him, and stabbed him in the abdomen with a stake. I cringed at the sight of blood. The vampire slid to the floor in pain, now on his knees. Damon joined Stefan next to me, as they took a protective stance in front of me. I stood a few feet behind them, watching the scene play out with horror.

Stefan walked up to the kneeling vampire, and dug the stake deeper, causing him to groan in pain. I turned my head away, not wanting to watch. But also, I didn't want to look away. I couldn't afford to stop concentrating. "Why are you doing this?" Stefan asked, menacingly. Even his voice scared me.

The vampire winked at me, and answered, "Because it's fun."

I bit my lip as Stefan twisted the stake a bit more. "What do you want with Ariana?"

The vampire paused, then said, "She looks like Katherine."

Stefan, Damon, and I all looked at each other in shock. How did he know Katherine? Why did I have to look like her? Well, okay, the second question was what was going on in my head at the time.

"You knew Katherine?" Damon asked him.

"Oh. You thought you were the only ones." The vampire laughed darkly, and then gasped. "You don't even remember me."

Wow. How many people were in love with Katherine? Geez. Damon leaned towards the vampire, demanding, "Tell me how to get into the tomb. Hmm?" The tomb? What? What tomb?

"No," The vampire said. Stefan twisted the stake deeper, and I tried to get my mind off of the blood that was already pooling beneath him. "The grimoire." He choked out.

"Where is it?" Damon asked sternly.

Stefan drove the stake deeper, and I cringed again. Pain was still pain. Whether or not you were a good person, or a bad person, or even a vampire. The vampire gasped, "Check the journal. The journal. Jonathan's journal. Jonathan Gilbert's."

Wait... my ancestor? Jonathan Gilbert? He knew about vampires, but, how would he know about a grimoire?

"Who else is working with you?" Stefan asked him. Could there be another vampire as well. Great.

"Who else is there?" Damon questioned.

"No," Noah shook his head, "You're gonna have to kill me."

Damon looked at Stefan. Stefan removed the stake from the vampire's stomach. Before I could object, Stefan staked him in the heart. I gasped in shock as the vampire sunk to the floor completely, gray and withered: Dead.

"What - No!" I cried. Tears which were in my eyes before resurfaced. There's already been way too much death. I moved over to go kneel beside the corpse, but someone pulled me back. I looked up, and met Damon's ice blue eyes, as he kept me in a firm hold, not allowing any less space between me and the dead vampire on the ground. "Did you have to kill him?" I asked Stefan, who stood a few feet away, but started to walk closer to us.

"He had to die." Damon said, right beside my ear.

"But..."

"Ariana," Stefan willed me to understand, "He's been invited in."

Then I remembered Jenna, Elena, and Jeremy. I couldn't put them in danger. Never. I sighed, and closed my eyes. Always trying to protect me. At least this time, doing this for me didn't have to be selfish. I was also protecting my family. I nodded to Damon, who still had his arms wrapped around me, and said, "I'm fine."

He looked at me for a few seconds, then finally let go.

"Go. I got this." Stefan said to Damon. Damon walked out of the cafeteria, as Stefan came over to me. He pulled me into a comforting hug, as he soothed me. I clung to him, and buried my head into his chest, wanting to forget about the dead body lying two feet away from me.

* * *

Back at my house, I pulled my hair out of its messy bun, trying to run my hand through the tangles. The vampire tonight had severely messed it up. Stefan came back, and sat down next to me on the couch, placing a mug filled with tea, which I gratefully took. "Thank you," I said to him, and smiled.

"You're welcome." He replied. Tonight, when I asked Stefan about the tomb, he explained it all to me. About how Katherine and the twenty-six other vampires were stuck in it underneath the church. She was still alive. Well, at least, we think she is. That's why Damon had come back to Mystic Falls, it was to get her back. But now, that Emily had destroyed the crystal, Damon was looking for the grimoire that would supposedly help him open the tomb. And the only way to have gotten the grimoire, was to have found out where it was from my ancestor's journal. Which, I thought, Jeremy had. But, I wasn't really sure.

If Damon wanted Katherine back, then sure, he could open the tomb again. The only problem, was that I didn't want any of the other vampires resurfacing. I knew it was unfair, but I had to think about Mystic Falls. Did it really need like thirty vampires running around? Probably not. Gosh, this was a lot to take in.

"You okay?" Stefan asked me, placing his hand on my leg.

"I'm fine. Just feel a bit exhilarated from earlier, that's all." I answered.

He smiled, but then his gaze turned serious. I took a small sip from my tea mug, as he said, "I need to tell you something, and I don't know how you're gonna feel about it."

Oh no. More dead-but-now-alive girlfriends? I wasn't sure I could handle any more. I looked at Stefan concerned and said, "Tell me."

"I told Damon that I'd help him get into that tomb to get Katherine back." He said. So, they were trying to set her free. But, his next words stopped my train of thoughts, "But it was a lie. I let him believe that he could trust me."

"Why?" I asked. If Damon wanted Katherine back, he could have her. So long as they didn't hurt anyone, I was cool with it. And, I admit, a bit frightened.

"Trust me." Stefan said, "Getting Katherine out of the tomb is not a good thing. Not for anyone. She's manipulative, and she could hurt many people. Which is why, you can't tell Damon this, or else bad things will happen."

I nodded, understandingly. I guess that made sense. If Katherine was gonna hurt people, then I'd rather have her locked up. It was cruel, but harming others was just as evil. "Okay. I understand. I won't tell him." I said.

Stefan added, "I know you two have bonded lately, and I don't want to be his enemy, Ariana, but I can't let him do it. He can't open that tomb."

I nodded again. "I know. I can't allow people to get hurt either. I haven't forgotten the things Damon has done. So I'll help you, Okay?"

Stefan hugged me, and said, "You don't need to help. You don't have to get involved in all this."

I wrapped my arms around him too, an rested my head on his shoulder, as he ran his fingers through the knots in my current hair. "But I do want to help. To keep people safe. I promise I'll be careful." I said. We stayed in that position for a long time.


	14. Children of the Damned

**CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED**

I woke up happy. I woke up warm. I woke up loved. Stefan and I lied in his bed, snuggled up, as he woke me up with a sweet kiss on the cheek. I smiled through my tired but happy haze, as I wound his arms tighter around me, feeling safe. "Good morning." I said, almost awake.

"I could get used to this." Stefan commented, as he kissed my head. I giggled.

"Rise and shine, sleepyheads." A voice sounded from the end of Stefan's bed. Startled, I reacted on instinct, and so did Stefan. Since I was only dressed in a bra and panties, I pulled the bed sheet over me, Stefan doing the same to himself. When Stefan realized it was just Damon, he glared at his brother.

"What are you doing?" Stefan questioned him.

I gaped at Damon, as he smirked, "Oh, stop being all smutty." What the hell was he doing in Stefan's bedroom... while I was still here! Good thing the blankets were covering me. Stefan further reached out, to make sure that his white sheet didn't allow Damon to see anything below my head and neck.

"Seriously, get out of here!" Stefan exclaimed to Damon.

"If I see something I haven't seen before, I'll throw a dollar at it." Damon wiggled his eyebrows, as I rolled my eyes. "Now listen, we have some important things to discuss."

"Couldn't we save it 'till later?" Stefan asked him, still irritated that his older brother had ruined his "happy time". I knew how he felt.

Oh, yeah. We were going to help him get Katherine back. Scratch that. We were going to _pretend _to help him get her back. I still felt a bit guilty about that fact, I didn't want to lie. Again.

"Well, we have lots to do, now that we're friends and working toward a common goal." Damon smirked, "Also," he shrugged, "I couldn't miss out on all the fun, now could I?" His eyebrows wiggled suggestively. The creepy part was that he looked at me throughout the entire sentence.

Stefan narrowed his eyes and threw a pillow at him, "Get out."

"Okay, okay," Damon got off of Stefan's bed, and started to walk backwards to the door, his palms raised in surrender. Stefan and I were exchanging looks, when Damon pointed a finger at me. He had stopped moving, his eyes trained on mine. "Ariana _Gilbert, _you're on journal duty. In order to open the tomb we need to find the journal to get the grimoire to undo the spells."

I sighed, "Alright, fine."

"You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do." Stefan argued, looking at me.

"It's okay. I'll look for it later." I said. Whatever my ancestor seemed to know about, everyone wanted that information. I sighed. One step at a time. First, find the journal. Second, find out what to _do_ with the journal.

Damon smiled, "Good."

"How do we know that this journal will hold the location of the grimoire?" Stefan asked. I had no idea what grimoire really was. Only that it had something to do with witches. "We're really going to take the word of this vampire? He seemed like a bit of a dimwit."

I so did not want to be reminded of the death of yet _another _vampire. Vicki, Lexi, Logan... who knows? The next person to die could be Stefan, or Damon. "What is a grimoire?" I asked.

"It's a witch's cookbook." Damon answered. So it _did _have something to do with witches. Cookbook? I was slow.

Stefan further explained Damon's meaning, "Every spell that a witch casts is unique unto itself, so every witch would document their work." I nodded, understandingly.

"Yeah." Damon abbreviated, "Cookbook."

"What about our mystery vampire?" Stefan questioned, "Dimwit obviously wasn't working alone, so whoever's out there know who we are."

Great. More vampires, and they're out to get the Salvatore brothers. Please, let them be safe...

"Exactly." Damon said, "I don't like that disadvantage, so," He clapped his hands together, "Chop, chop." He started walking backwards again, "You know, I really like this whole menage a threesome team thing. It's got a bit of a kink to it." Neither Stefan or I said anything to that as Damon chuckled. "_Don't screw it up._" He said in a sing-song voice. Damon was right about to disappear from my line of eyesight, when he smirked at me, "By the way, Ariana, nice bra." Then he ducked his head, right before Stefan's other pillow, whom Stefan also threw, could reach his brother.

I looked down, and realized that the sheet had slid down while I was talking, distracted. The black and read lace from my bra showing entirely. I shook my head in embarrassment, as Stefan tried to apologize to me.

"Ignore him." I said to Stefan, as I leaned in to kiss him. Stefan momentarily seemed to forget the whole situation with Damon, as he pulled the sheet over our heads, obscuring us from anyone else who may have been lurking in the shadows. He kissed me passionately, filled with lust and undeniable love.

I would worry about everything later. The whole journal thing and the Salvatore brothers' history.

I let myself be carefree, and just enjoyed the moment. For, I knew, the whole issue with the tomb, Katherine, journals, and grimoires, were about to become a big part of my life. A part, which I did not want beginning.

* * *

Stefan and I searched through my old family boxes, finding photos, drawings, sketches, and artifacts from a long time ago. I was trying to find the Gilbert journal. Stefan sat at the breakfast bar, wile I dug through another old box. The whole time was spent thinking about Damon and how the more I thought about him, the guiltier I felt. We were lying to him.

The guilt kept tugging on me, until I finally asked Stefan, "Do you think that Damon believes we are trying to help him?"

Stefan looked at me, and replied, "I don't think Damon knows what to believe. Trust isn't something that comes naturally to him."

I never thought that Damon was a monster. I've always seen him as someone who could be good. He'd been kind to me before, and the only reason he chose to hide it, was because he believed that he was bad. But that's not what I believed. He did all this for Katherine. And... I kind of admired that. "Stefan..." I hesitantly started, "...I really believe that everything Damon has done, every move he's made, he's done for love. It may seem twisted, and sad, but... it's sort of... sweet." I smiled a bit.

Stefan's gaze turned serious as he moved closer to me. He took a seat across from me, and said sternly, "Ariana. You have to understand, that there are other ways to get what you want. You don't have to kill people. Damon has no regard for human life. He enjoys inflicting pain on others. For 145 years, every single time that I have let my guard down and let Damon back into my life, he's done something to make me regret that. I'm not going to make that mistake again."

I had stopped searching through my box once Stefan started explaining his thoughts to me. Maybe, he was right. Perhaps the only reason Damon was kind to me, well directly, was because I looked like Katherine. I've seen him kill. It wasn't exactly an experience I wanted to relive. But, everyone deserves a chance. And like Stefan said, he'd let Damon in multiple times, each one giving bad results. I sighed, and looked down idly at my pale-ish fingers.

"If Damon were to open that tomb, and get Katherine back...?" I didn't finish my question.

"I think no matter what Damon promises, a lot of people will die." Stefan stated as a fact. I sighed again. Though I wanted Damon to be happy with the one he loved, even if it was with someone who looked exactly like me, - creepy - I couldn't just stand back and let a bunch of people get killed.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. I had to help Stefan. Sorry Damon, but he cannot hurt someone else, not again. I looked at my box again, and picked up an old wooden photo frame. Stefan stood up and peered over my shoulder at the guy in the picture. It was a photo from the shoulders up, of a man with a beard, and wearing a hat. After examining it, Stefan said:

"That's Jonathan Gilbert."

So, this was my ancestor. Truthfully, he looked innocent, yet ancient at the same time. Weird, but familiar. Creepy, but safe. I was puzzled for a second as I opened the wooden box further. There was some sort of device, and even Stefan seemed to be confused as his eyebrows furrowed.

Jeremy suddenly entered, and propped himself up onto the kitchen counter. "What are you guys doing?" He asked curiously.

"Just going through some old family stuff." I half-lied, not about to go babble to him about vampires and witches and tombs. "Dad had this old journal from years ago. I'm just looking for it." Not a lie either.

"Jonathan Gilbert's journal?" Jeremy asked.

I turned my head fully towards him. What did he know about it? "Yeah. Do you know where it is?"

"I gave it to Mr. Saltzman." Jeremy responded, proudly. "He wanted to see it."

Stefan and I exchanged looks. Why did my History teacher want to see an old journal? Well, I guess it was technically "History", but, why would he want it? More questions kept popping up. At least Jeremy seemed content. He was still smiling on the kitchen counter, oblivious to the problem here.

Elena entered shortly after that. "Hey sis, hey sis's BF." She greeted Stefan and I, as she stopped right in front of me. She pointed at me, and smirked, "You, my dear sister, are going to go out with me tonight."

Since when? What the heck brought this on? "Uh... where?" I asked, feeling awkward.

"Where else?" She said, rolling her eyes as if it was obvious. "The Grill. Eight o'clock."

"Is there a reason to this... outing?" I asked, choosing my words carefully.

A glint flashed in her eyes, then it disappeared, "No reason. Just bonding." She tried shrugging nonchalantly, but I knew she was hiding something.

Whatever it was, now I was curious. "Sure,"

"Great!" She said cheerfully, as she ran back up the stairs. I looked at Stefan and Jeremy in question.

"She seems a bit different these days." Jeremy commented. "You better watch out."

I gave a little huff of laughter, and shook my head. Yeah, I better. Elena was definitely acting out of character... what was she planning? Ah well. Guess I'll find out tonight. First thing's first: Find that damn journal.

* * *

I was confused as I walked towards the kitchen. I heard Jenna and some other guy laughing. "Hello, Ariana." I heard the guy say as I entered the room. The sight shocked me. Jenna sat on one of the counters, drinking wine, as Damon smirked at me from where he was, cutting tomatoes on the granite island counter. So weird. He seemed so... normal. Jenna was smiling, drunk, and obviously attracted. Great.

"Hey." Jenna asked, "Where have you been? We're cooking dinner."

I could see that. More like; _Damon _was cooking dinner. What was he doing here?

The next question answered my thoughts. Damon asked me, "Is Stefan with you?"

Ah, he wanted to talk about the journal. "He'll be here soon." I told him. Stefan wanted to see if we could continue to search for the journal. But now that Damon was here, how were we supposed to do that? Truthfully, I didn't want to be working against Damon. I was afraid of what would happen when he would find out.

I leaned against the counter Jenna was sitting on, as I waited for Stefan to arrive. Damon kept sneaking glances at me, and smirked every time he'd catch my eyes looking at him.

* * *

I decided to help out with dinner, since apparently Damon was the "main cook" for the evening. I was crossing paths with Damon, about to place a stack of plates on the dining room table, when Damon brushed against me deliberately. "Whoa. Mmm." He smirked.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head as I continued to place the plates on the dinner table. He was such an ass. I smiled, annoyed, and said to him, "Don't do that."

"Do what?" He played innocent.

"You know what." I rolled my eyes again. "You'll have plenty of times to do that once Katherine's back." _If _she gets out of the tomb, but I don't add that. Damon, who was originally stirring the pot of water, boiling on the stove, stopped. After a few awkward moments of him being completely still, he cleared his throat, and went back to stirring.

What was _that _about? He asked me, "Speaking of Stefan, where is he? He's missing family night, which I am enjoying immensely, now that you're here."

I couldn't see his face, since his back was to me, but I could almost hear his smirk. That's the Damon I knew. I walked back into the kitchen, gathering up the silver utensils.

Damon turned around and looked at me, and changed the subject, "Is it real?"

I gave him a confused look.

He elaborated, "This renewed sense of brotherhood." Tearing his gaze away from me for a few seconds, he took the sauce spoon out of the bigger pot, and tasted the spaghetti sauce. "Can I trust him?" He was talking about Stefan.

My heart gave a little thump, which I had no doubt he could hear. I really did hate - and suck at - lying. I looked at him as boldly as I could, stating, "Of course you can trust him." I had to keep Stefan's secret, but even I could hear the way my voice wavered in that lie. It didn't exactly help that I turned away just a second later, making me seem guilty. Which I was.

I took the napkins off the counter, and avoiding his gaze, walked back to the dinner table. Still fearful that he'd find out, I turned around, and jumped a little. Damon was standing only two inches away from me. Staring into my eyes, he repeated, "Can I trust him? I want you to answer me. Honestly."

He looked so sincere, almost like a different person. No trace of humor left in his eyes. He was choosing to trust me, so it seemed unfair that I was keeping secrets from him. But, I couldn't betray Stefan. People could not end up hurt. I was conflicted, between trusting Stefan's judgement on his brother, and trusting mine. Since Stefan had been his brother for 145 years, it was probably better to go along with what he knew. It was hard though, to think clearly, as Damon's piercing ice blue eyes stared at me, as if looking into my soul.

I knew this was my one chance to make him less suspicious of me and Stefan, so I settled for a one-word lie. It was easier for me:

"Yes."

* * *

"There was a time when I trusted him more than anyone." Damon said to me, leaning against one of the counters.

"I think that there was a time when Stefan trusted _you _more than anyone as well." I said to him. Whatever had happened between the brothers, it broke their trust. Hopefully, they could recover it.

Damon smirked, "Well, I couldn't trust him after his betrayal." He shrugged.

After a few seconds, I said, "Maybe if you learn to trust him... he can learn to trust you." I let him ponder over that as I took out a bowl from the cabinet. Opening the fridge, I grabbed the plastic container filled with blueberries, and poured it into the big ceramic bowl.

Damon decided to just change the subject. "I just want her back. I'm sure you can understand that."

Of course I did. He loved her. I would want Stefan back if he were to somehow get locked in a tomb. I just didn't want a bunch of people getting hurt either. Love did strange things to people. "I know that you love her," I said, "And that you want to free her. So yes, I understand you'd do anything for her."

I gave him a little smile and walked past Damon to place the bowl of blueberries on the table. Damon was right behind me, when he half-whispered, "Then you understand what I will do if anyone gets in my way. Make sure you tell Stefan that."

I didn't have time to respond, as he had already walked away before I could turn around. Shivers went down my spine, and I tried to get my breathing under control. Was that a threat? Great. Who knew what Damon had going on in his head. Again, love did strange things to people. Or, in this case, vampires. What's worse was they had heightened sense: double love = double strange.

* * *

Damon sat on the couch in the living room, with Jeremy next to him. Their eyes were glued to the TV screen, playing video games. They were having a conversation which i couldn't hear over the sound of game explosions and gun shots.

Jenna stood in front of me in the kitchen, trying to help prepare dinner. She wobbled from one side to the other, in a drunken haze. Her cheeks were puffy, and she leaned in to whisper, "He is ridiculously hot!"

I knew who she meant: Damon. And yeah, she's right, he was hot. But, I knew that Damon could easily overhear us from the living room. So I put a finger to my smiling lips, and whispered, "Shh!" Jenna was only a couple of years older than me, still in college. Her age was closer to Damon's from when he was turned. It wouldn't bother me, if it weren't for the fact that he was a vampire in love with another vampire who looked exactly like me. Oh, yeah, and I was dating his brother. That'd be a really awkward situation if Jenna were to ever get interested in Damon. I smirked, "He can also be an ass."

I knew that Damon would hear that as well. Though Damon had his moments, he really did act like a jerk at times. Maybe not to me, but definitely others. The whole killing thing, yeah, not exactly a turn on. Well...it might be for other vampires.

Jenna smiled at my comment. Searching through another old box, I tried looking for information about my birth parents. I wanted to know if they were still around, and maybe, perhaps, find them. They can never replace mom and dad, but, they were still family.

"What are you doing with all this stuff?" Jenna asked me, finally focusing a bit.

"I thought there might be something about my birth parents." So far though, nothing.

"Have you told Jeremy or Elena?" She asked, pitching her voice low.

I shook my head. I felt like guilt just kept building up, from everything. "I will tell them. I'm just... looking for a better time." Oh, who was I kidding? When would there _ever _be a time? Yeah, that's what I thought; never.

Closing the box filled with nothing about my birth parents, I heard the doorbell ring.

"I'll get it." I said to Jenna, "It's Stefan."

I walked over to the front door, and out of the corner of my eye, saw Damon follow me, getting up from the couch he was sitting on. Jeremy gave an annoyed "dude", while I continued to the front door. How was Stefan and I supposed to discuss the journal with Damon here? I opened the door, and Stefan's face lit up when he saw me. I gave him a look, and he finally noticed Damon there. His corner of his mouth turned downwards. He was confused as to why Damon was in my house. I kinda was too, though it must have some kind of link to opening the tomb.

"Well?" Damon raised his eyebrows expectantly. Stefan gave me the same look back.

* * *

Stefan explained Damon how someone had taken the journal. I guess Mr. Saltzman didn't have it anymore. I wondered who did.

"Who took it?" Damon asked. The three of us stood on my front porch, facing each other in a sort of triangle.

"I don't know." Stefan replied honestly.

"You know what, it's that teacher." Damon said, "There's something really off about him."

_No Damon, leave him out of this. _I wanted to say to him. I didn't think anything was wrong about Mr. Saltzman. He seemed like a good person, though, looks could be deceiving.

"No, he doesn't know anything." Stefan said quickly, and I gave him a grateful look. "Somebody got to it right before me."

"Who else knew it was there?" Damon asked, exasperated. Wait, I knew who else knew: Jeremy.

Stefan involuntarily looked through on of the front windows, into the living room where Jeremy was playing video games; bad move. Damon caught his line of gaze, and promptly walked back into my house.

"Damon!" I called, frustrated. I didn't want Jeremy involved. It only complicated things. I was trying to protect him from this. Because, guess what? Ignorance is bliss. You don't realize how much you want out, until you're already in. Stefan and I could only follow Damon into the house, as he went to interrogate my brother.

"So..." Damon started, trying to be casual by sitting on the arm of the couch Jeremy sat on. Stefan and I remained standing. "I heard you found a really old journal from back in the day. Who else did you show it to?"

"Huh?" Jeremy replied blankly, still playing his video game.

"Don't ask questions, just spill." Damon ordered him. I rolled my eyes at his persistence.

"You're kidding me, right?" Jeremy laughed as if not believing a word Damon was saying. For what reason, I did not know.

I sighed. We weren't going to get anywhere with this. And anyways, Damon probably wasn't going to stop asking questions until he got the answer. "Jer, did you happen to tell anyone else about Jonathan Gilbert's journal?" I tried asking politely.

"Why is everybody so obsessed with that thing?" He asked, not looking at me.

"Just tell us who you told." Damon commanded.

"Just that girl Anna." Jeremy responded indifferently. Anna? Pretty name, but, who was she?

"The hot, weird one?" Damon questioned. Now, how did Damon know about this girl, and not me? His sister. Maybe it's guy stuff, who knew.

"Yeah." Jeremy said.

"Wait, who is Anna?" Stefan asked. I wanted to know the exact same thing, just as confused as him.

"That's what I want to find out." Damon grimaced. I guess we all wanted to know who this mystery girl was. Was she a vampire? If she was, she better not hurt Jeremy. He seemed oblivious to the tense air, as he continued to click his controllers and shoot other people. Virtually, of course.

My phone rang then, and after muttering an "Excuse me," to the Salvatore brothers and Jeremy, I walked up the stairs. The caller ID read: _Bonnie_

Oh, my, gosh! I was such a bad friend. With everything going on, including tombs, vampires, me being adopted, I had forgotten that Bonnie had a date with Ben today. He had graduated from our high school before, and to most girls, he was hot. Maybe Bonnie could finally have the boyfriend she'd always wanted.

"How's it going at the Grill, Bonnie?" I asked her, putting my phone to my ear, smirking.

"It's going great." I knew she was smiling. "He's a perfect gentleman."

"Gentleman, huh?" I teased her. Bonnie was the type of girl to party. Much like Caroline and I in that department. We were the trio, always throwing parties and getting invited to ones. Things were much simpler back then... I wished that I could rewind time. Didn't we all.

"I know!" Bonnie laughed, frustrated, "Boring, huh? I just want to grab him and lay one on him."

"Why don't you do it, then." I told her. "The point to life is taking risks. Otherwise, there'd be no purpose for living."

"Geez. How old are you again?" Bonnie teasingly asked me.

I shrugged, "I'm either five years old or five thousand years old."

"No kidding." We both laughed. It felt nice. Just to laugh and tease with my best friend. I wanted to reach into my receiver and give her a gigantic hug. It was easy to forget all my complications and problems when talking with her. At least her life was smooth. Well, as smooth as it could be with being a witch, and all.

"But seriously Bonnie," I said, "You're a powerful witch goddess. Make him feel like you're way too good for him. Which, I believe, is true."

Bonnie laughed again. "Okay. Thanks, Ariana. I'll text you later with all the details, but... you probably won't want them."

I laughed. "Do whatever you wish to do. I'll see you later."

"Bye,"

"Bye," I hung up, smiling.

Placing the phone back into my pocket, I heard footsteps from out in the hallway. I turned around, just as Stefan walked into my room. "Damon left to track down Jeremy's friend Anna, see if there was anything there." Stefan explained.

Oh, so maybe if Damon found this journal before we did, he could go and open the tomb. Which, I knew is something I shouldn't have be supporting, but... I couldn't help the overwhelming guilt that pervaded me the more I thought about it. About how we were lying to him. I knew that if he were to open that tomb, and get Katherine back, people may be hurt. But maybe, just maybe... Stefan was wrong. Maybe Damon and Katherine would be happy together, and all this killing would finally end. I wanted to believe Damon, so much. But somehow... I found that hard to believe.

Stefan then pulled out a stack of paper, text printed on it like class assignment papers. "Don't worry. I've got a copy of the journal." He said. My stomach sunk. So much for relieving guilt.

"How did you get it?" I asked around the tightening of my throat.

"Well, Mr. Saltzman made a copy and was kind enough to loan it to me." Stefan replied.

I raised my eyebrows at him. Mr. Saltzman? Giving a student the copy of my ancestor's journal. Highly unlikely.

"Fine," Stefan admitted, "That wasn't exactly what happened, but I got it,"

I gave out a little chuckle. Stress clouded my thoughts right now, so laughing seemed like a pretty good option. Great, now needed to help Stefan search for this grimoire that I did, yet didn't, want to find. My jumble of thoughts kept confusing me. It was a wonder I was still standing.

* * *

Stefan and I sat on my window couch/seat. We scanned the copies of the journal, trying to find any indication of where the whereabouts of the grimoire were. The handwriting was in cursive. Beautiful, but at times, hard to read. It felt kinda wrong to be reading someone's private journal, but, people's lives could be at stake.

I then found something. It was a part where my ancestor wrote about Emily. It read:

_The Fell family believed it should be I, not them, who protected the witch's spell book. But I feared she would haunt me from the hereafter. They mocked my fear, but it was Giuseppe Salvatore who removed my fear. He told me he would protect the secret of the spell book. He said he would carry it to his grave._

That confused me. What did it mean? Giuseppe Salvatore must've been Stefan and Damon's dad, but the passage... it didn't make sense to me.

"Stefan," I said, "I think I found something." I handed the paper to Stefan, as he took it and meticulously analyzed the page.

"It was Giuseppe Salvatore who removed my fear. He told me he would protect the secret of the spell book. He said he would carry it to his grave." Stefan read that section of the writing aloud. His brows furrowed as he went into deep concentration. After a minute, I got scared that he would never come back to the present. It was silly, but at the time, I felt like I was under a lot of pressure.

"Stefan." I said softly. A look of dawning apprehension covered his features, as he turned to look at me.

"I know where it is." He said. I looked at him impressed. Wow, he must have remembered something. But... that meant that now Stefan would find the journal, and Damon wouldn't. I should be totally for this, but... I couldn't say that I supported it one hundred percent. I felt like I was betraying Damon's trust, and in a way, I was. I lied to him, and kept things from him. It felt horrible and... scary.

Suddenly, my phone beeped. I pulled it out of my back pocket, and realized that I had a text from Elena. Shit, I totally forgot about our "hangout". She was going to kill me. The text read:

_What the hell, Ariana?! It's already 8:15. Get to the Grill, now!_

Aw, geez. I sighed, I guess I had to go meet up with her, still a bit wary of why she wanted to meet up with me. It was... weird. It was nice...but, just way too unusual and out of character.

But, wait. Maybe if I met up with Elena, I wouldn't have to help out with the journal thing. It was selfish of me, but I didn't want to have to choose sides. I had no idea what I really wanted to do. Trust Stefan, or Damon. The answer should have been obvious, but lately, I didn't seem to be able to read between the lines.

"Stefan." I said, "I am so sorry to ditch you, but... my sister just sent me a text. Remember this morning when she asked me to meet her at the Grill?"

Stefan nodded his head, and immediately said, "Yes. You should go. I never wanted to get you caught up in all this in the first place. You'll be safer there."

I bit my lip. "Are you sure?" Now, I really felt bad about leaving Stefan. God, decisions sucked.

"Yes." Stefan put the paper down, and looked straight into my eyes. He placed the palms of his hands on either side of my face, and leaned forward. The electricity zapped between us before our lips even touched. I melted in the warmth, as he kissed me slowly and passionately. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead on mine, and closed his eyes, trying to slow his breathing. I mirrored him. "I want you to go," he whispered, "I don't want you to be involved in this darkness. Go spend time with your family."

"Thank you, Stefan." I said.

He shook his head, "There's nothing to thank me for."

* * *

I arrived to the Mystic Grill, hearing shouts, laughter, chatter, and the clinking of glasses and pool balls. It was very much alive. I spotted Elena almost immediately. She sat at the bar, eating a big plate of french fries. When I sat down beside her, she gave me a glare.

"Well aren't you..." She checked her phone, "...twenty-five minutes late."

"I'm sorry. I was talking with Stefan." I explained to her.

Her eyes lit up, and she gave me a knowing grin. "Oh, so, he held you up, huh?" She winked.

I rolled my eyes. "Anyway," I started, "What did you want to talk about?"

She shrugged, "I don't know." She spun her head, to look at me, "Oooh, let's play a game."

"A game?" I questioned, "Okay... what do you want to play. Pool?" Elena didn't usually play pool. I mean, she would, but she'd get mad every time she lost.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes as if I was stupid for not getting what she was talking about. "No," She said, popping another fry in her mouth.

Scanning the Grill, her eyes stopped on a guy facing away from us. I didn't recognize him; probably just passing by this small town. He was at least a few years older, and he turned around to high-five the other guy playing pool with him. He had dark hair and eyes. Very handsome. Maybe not Stefan or Damon hot, but, for human standards, very hot.

Elena smirked, and looked back towards me. "Let's see who can get him to kiss one of us first."

"Elena, no!" I said, shocked, "I'm with Stefan. And anyways, what's the point to this game?"

"The point," she said, "Is to show other people that I can get a guy to like me and find me attractive."

I rolled my eyes, "Elena, you are attractive."

"You're only saying that because I look like you." She stated, and gulped down a glass of diet coke a bartender had placed in front of her. "And about Stefan, he doesn't ever have to find out." I looked at her, unconvinced. "Please?" she gave me her puppy dog eyes. Though, they looked more like cat eyes.

I sighed. I couldn't deny my sister anything. "Fine," I succumbed. If it made her happy, then... I'd play along. I just hope that Stefan nor anyone else wouldn't find out. Or, I was screwed. I was sounding like such a slut. Just this one time. One time.

* * *

Elena and I were able were able to convince the guys to play pool with us. It wasn't that hard, all we did was bat our eyelashes, and they agreed. They were very nice, and you could tell, popular. The dark haired guy, whom Elena had looked at, was called John. The other guy, whom was handsome too, had blonde hair. His name was Mike. They were both twenty-four years old. Seven years older than us. But, we didn't give out much information.

They had come from North Carolina, and were going to pass through Mystic Falls to visit their friends in Washington, D.C. They flirted with us, while Elena full-on flirted with them. It kinda made them uncomfortable, but they kept smiling. They won easily, since no offense to Elena, but she barely plays, and most of the time, her cue stick didn't connect with the ball solidly.

After the pool game, Mike had to leave early, saying that he had to get up tomorrow to visit someone else before going with John to their friends.

After about an hour, John offered to take us somewhere. I was hesitant at first, but Elena lit up like a bonfire and said "yes". She went to the bathroom, and so John and I exited the Grill, going to get his car, alone. We talked about simple things, laughed, told jokes, and... I was actually having a lot of fun. I forgot about Elena's little "game".

Until of course, he pushed me up against a wall. We were at the back of The Mystic Grill's building, and my back hit the wall as John pulled himself closer to me. Before I could even be confused or protest, his lips descended on mine. At first, I was too shocked to respond. I could taste the alcohol on his soft lips. But then, I finally came to my senses, and tried pushing him off. He didn't seem to like that. He wrapped one of him arms on my hip, and his other hand was placed on the side of my head, forcing me to kiss him. I struggled uselessly, his grip was like steel. I gasped, and he took advantage of that by deepening the kiss.

Shit, what was I gonna do? I was freaking out. Why did Elena have to involve me into this mess. I thought John was a good guy, what the hell was he doing?

Suddenly, his lips left mine. I took in a deep breath and immediately stumbled away when his grip loosened. John dropped to the floor, unconscious. I looked to my left, and was surprised at who my savior was: Elena. She was breathing as heavily as I was. She then shook her head, and came out of her daze. Her hands were in fists. Obviously, she had punched him in the head or something. Damn, I didn't know my sister could throw a punch. I mean, she couldn't even really play pool.

She rushed into me, and gave me a hug. I hugged her back, tears almost falling from my eyes. Relief replaced my fear; I was fine.

"Are you okay?" Elena said, frantically, "God, I am so sorry, I didn't expect...this!" She gestured to the passed out body.

"It's okay," I assured her, "Next time, just make sure you think through your 'games'." She nodded, eyes wide.

"I'm so sorry." She apologized again, and took my hand, "Come on. Let's get you home."

"What about John?" I automatically asked. I always looked for the well being of others. Always.

"Are you serious right now?" She asked me in disbelief. "Who cares? He was a dick. He'll be perfectly fucking fine. Let's go!"

She tugged on my arm again. "Elena," I asked, "How did you get here?"

"I walked," she answered, "But you took your car, right?"

"Yeah," I answered. Digging into my jean pocket, I took out my car keys. "Here," I handed them to Elena.

"What are you doing?" She asked, curling her fingers around the metal and plastic.

"Take my car." I said, "I - I need time to... cool off and relax."

She nodded, actually understandingly. "Okay. Be careful, alright?"

I nodded, and smiled. Elena seemed to be concerned. Maybe, she was learning to be kind and caring. That was good. "I will." I assured her, "Meet you at home."

"Okay." She agreed. I was about to turn toward the direction of our house, when Elena called back, "Oh, and by the way, Ariana."

"Yeah?"

"You won." She said with a smirk, spun around, and headed to my car.

* * *

I walked through the cold on my way to the house. My fingers kept clutching my jacket, and pulling it tighter around me. I shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. That guy had really scared me. For a moment, I thought... I sighed. Things just weren't working out for me. At least Elena seemed okay. She looked genuinely concerned about me. But, with Elena, you never know. I need to learn how to throw a punch, like her. Maybe Stefan would teach me... Great, now I felt guilty again. The best way to deal with this, was to forget everything that happened tonight. Anyways, John would be gone by tomorrow. I didn't have to ever see him again.

I was almost to my house, just passing by the dark woods, when someone appeared in front of me. Damon.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite Gilbert." Damon greeted stepping closer to me. I stopped walking.

"Geez, Damon, you scared me," I said, taking a steadying breath, "And, I can't say that you're my favorite Salvatore."

"Ouch," Damon smirked and dramatically out a hand to his chest, "You wound me."

I shook my head, and was able to actually smile. I could forget about tonight. I would. "So," I said, "Is there a reason you're here? Did you want to talk about something?"

"Yes. Would you mind taking a little trip with me?" Damon asked.

I raised my eyebrows, "I don't know. The last time you took me to Georgia."

"Well, we're just going into the woods." He said, and leaned closer, whispering, "I think I may have found the grimoire."

My heart skipped a beat. That meant, that Damon could release Katherine from the tomb. Whether that was good or bad... I had no idea. My mind was all over the place. "Then..." I said, "Should we tell Stefan?" If we were to, Stefan wouldn't let Damon get the grimoire. He was set on not letting Katherine out of the tomb. While Damon, wanted her free. I didn't know whose side i was on. Damon had convinced me that nobody would be hurt, while Stefan stated that a lot of people would die. Which was the truth?

Damon shook his head, and answered, "For the time being, I'm not trusting my brother. So, you coming?"

I shrugged. I was kinda curious, yet afraid at the same time. "Sure."

* * *

Damon walked along side me in the dark woods, the only thing keeping me from panicking. He told me that the grimoire was in his dad's grave. Very creepy. Wait... grave.

_...carry it to his grave._

Yes. When Jonathan Gilbert had wrote that Giuseppe Salvatore was going to take the spell book to his grave. I was confused at first, but now it made sense. He literally meant, "carry to his grave". I shuddered thinking about it.

"You cold?" Damon asked me.

"No, I'm fine." I smiled at him.

Damon's gaze turned hard as he looked back in front of us. At first, I saw nothing. Then, I saw a flicker of light. The orange and yellow illuminating the pitch black forest. Once we got closer, I saw what had made Damon angry. Stefan was next to a grave, with a shovel in hand. His father's grave had been completely dug up, the soil piled next to it. In his hands, was an old, withered book. Could it have been the grimoire? Stefan really did know where the spell book was; in his father's grave. That must have been hard for him to dig up. But, I didn't have very long to dwell on that fact.

"Well, what do you know?" Damon said, his lips curled up in a snarl. Stefan's eyes snapped up to us. They landed on Damon for a second, and then shifted to me. A flash of fear crossed his features, as he saw me standing next to Damon.

I knew Damon wouldn't hurt me. But, after realizing that Stefan had found the journal, I wasn't so sure anymore. I was with Stefan this entire time, I'd know everything he knew. Damon was starting to figure that out.

"This is an interesting turn of events." Damon said again, just as cynically. His eyes briefly flashed to mine, as he started to catch on. I wasn't surprised that Stefan was here, because I knew that he knew where the grimoire was. And, I guess, since there wasn't enough surprise on my face, Damon knew that I knew. Way too many "knew's".

Damon's eyes shifted back to Stefan, when Stefan said, "I can't let you bring her back. I'm sorry." He was still looking tense, not liking the fact that I had arrived with Damon.

"So am I." Damon said, "For thinking for even a _second _that I could trust you."

"Oh. You're not capable of trust." Stefan retorted, "The fact that you're here means that you read the journal and you were planning on doing this yourself." I sighed, they were fighting again.

"Of course I was going to do this by myself, because the only one I can count on is me!" Damon's voice rose in anger and rage. "You made sure of that many years ago, Stefan." Then, his eyes shifted to me, and I prepared myself for his anger too. Though he seemed to be a bit gentler. It still scared me, and he was only a few feet away. "But you...you had me fooled. I thought I could trust you. But instead, it turns out that you were working with Stefan this entire time, and lying to me!"

I winced, feeling ashamed and guilty. Damon's look of betrayal cut deep into me. I felt like he had just ripped a part of me, exposing everything to the outside. "Damon, I'm sorry, I-"

I what? What was I supposed to say? Everything he'd just said was true. I lied to him, I was working with Stefan, I had made him trust me. I was on the brink of tears. Stefan looked like he was about to go up to Damon and rip his head off. I shook my head when Damon looked away, silently telling Stefan not to do anything stupid.

"So what are you going to do now?" Damon asked Stefan, "Because if you try to destroy that thing," He pointed to the old spell book in Stefan's hands, "I'll rip her heart out." It didn't take a genius to know he was talking about me. Even though we all knew he was lying, I couldn't help the jolt of fear that passed through me.

"You won't kill her," Stefan stated obviously.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Damon nod once, as if agreeing with Stefan. But I second later, he disappeared from my peripheral vision. I had no time to be confused, when I felt hands grab my hips. I tried getting out of Damon's hold, but his grip was even stronger than steel. "I can do one better." Damon said, to a scared looking Stefan. He was afraid as to what his brother would do. So was I. This was one of those rare moments where I actually thought Damon may... hurt me.

I heard a biting sound, and then Damon's bloody wrist was pressed against my mouth. I struggled as the blood traveled down my throat. No. He was going to turn me into a vampire.

"Give me the book, Stefan, or I'm snapping her neck." Damon ordered to Stefan boldly. H sounded like he really meant it. Would he have really done it? "And you and I will have a vampire girlfriend."

"Let her go first." Stefan said, looking as if he might break down at any moment. He looked so scared for me, and it broke my heart.

Damon's wrist was no longer on my mouth, and I gasped for air. I must've drank like a pint of blood or something. Shamefully, I admit it did taste good. But right now, I felt really buzzed. Like fire and electricity were joining together to make me feel all jittery. I was suddenly very aware of Damon's hands on me. One of his arms were wrapped in above my chest and across my shoulders, securing me to him. His other arm, was in mid-air, making gestures. "That book!" He ordered.

"I'm not going to give this to you until she is standing next to me, safe." Stefan told him.

"Problem is, I no longer trust that you'll give it back!" Damon shouted from next to me. Betrayal still lingered in his voice.

"You just did the one thing that ensures that I will." Stefan promised. It would have been sweet, if not for the little tiny fact that Damon could snap my neck right now, and I'd be a member of the undead. I didn't want to become a vampire. To be surrounded by that darkness, it scared me. "Okay."

Stefan's eyes were filled with terror, as he kept his gaze on us. He slowly bent down to place the withered book on the ground. Coming back up, he reached across like he wanted to take me into his arms. But, he was at least thirty feet away from Damon and I. I felt Damon's grip tighten a bit, and his lips touched my hair, as if he was giving me a kiss.

After a few seconds, I was almost convinced that he wouldn't let me go, as if, he didn't want to let me go. But slowly, he pulled his arms away. I stumbled away from him, and Stefan met me in the middle. He pulled me into his arms, and stroked my hair. That movement always made me feel secure. I looked back at Damon, terrified. He gave me a look that could only be described as longing. I was confused at why that was the look he gave me, but, at the time, I couldn't concentrate on anything. I forced myself to focus on Stefan, as he vampire sped me back to my house.

* * *

Once I had calmed down a bit, Stefan and I sat on the bed in my room. "It was just a small amount of blood." He said, "It should pass out of your system by tomorrow."

I didn't need to add the part about it feeling like Damon had fed me the entire aquarium, or something.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked me, for like the thousandth time.

"I'm fine." I said, for like the thousandth time. "Just a bit jittery."

Stefan nodded, as if expecting the answer. He rubbed my back as we hugged.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, worried. He seemed kinda of distracted.

"Damon was right." He said, as I looked at him confused, "This is, uh... this is my fault."

Stefan told me the story about how after he had told his father about Katherine being a vampire, they captured her. He said that it was his fault that Katherine had died, and he felt guilty for it.

"I put my faith in my father, but Damon put his faith in me, and I destroyed that." Stefan said, sadly, "This is my fault."

I reached up, processing the story, as I touched Stefan's face. "Stefan," I said, "Sometimes, people trust others who can't be trusted. But, sometimes you have to risk things, to learn from them. You didn't do anything wrong. Remember that."

Stefan placed his hands on my hips, and whispered, "Okay, thank you." He leaned in, and kissed me. When we parted, he said, "I'm going to get you something to drink."

"Okay, thanks." I said. He nodded, and I lied down on the bed. I thought that I wouldn't have to deal with anymore drama today. Damn it, again, I was wrong.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Stefan vampire sped to Ariana's room, once he heard Jeremy say "Anna". He realized who she was; Pearl's daughter from back in 1864. And now, she had been invited into the house. Overwhelming fear took over Stefan as he entered the bedroom.

"Ariana!" He called out into the empty room. She was nowhere in sight. But, her bedroom windows were open, the curtains blowing from the slight wind. Stefan felt a rush of emotions, and had the greatest desire to go rip someone's head off. Damn it. Where was she? He had to find her. The love of his life. The love of everyone's life, even Damon's. Stefan needed her safe. He needed to get her back, before it was too late.

* * *

**So, I changed this episode up a bit, with that whole part involving Elena and the "game". Can't wait to upload the next chapter. Did you like the change? Hate it? You tell me in the reviews. Thanks you!**

**-Spiralcloud**


	15. Fool Me Once

**FOOL ME ONCE**

**Ariana POV:**

I groaned as my eyes slowly opened. Blinking a few times, to rid the blurriness and dizzy haze, I groggily sat up. Then, when my brain finally processed where I was, I freaked out. This wasn't my bedroom. Where was I? I looked around frantically, my heart beating fast. The room I was in looked like a motel room, one with those yellow-orange walls. I sat on one of the beds - there were two. I was definitely fully awake now.

Only a few feet away from me, was another figure. The guy was sleeping, slumped in a chair by my bed, snoring softly. I recognized him: Ben. He was the guy who was technically dating Bonnie, wasn't he? The hot one. But... why the hell was I in a motel room with him? I checked - we were both fully clothed.

Quietly getting up, I slid off the bed, carefully making my way around him. I barely breathed as I slowly stepped over his feet, not wanting to wake him up. Who knows, he could be a psychopath. Backing away from Ben, yet still keeping an eye on him, I tiptoed across the carpet to a door, making an assumption that it was the front.

My hands shaking, I reached up to unlock the deadbolt, glancing back occasionally at Ben. Still sleeping. I took a deep breath, almost there -

"I wouldn't."

Gasping, I whipped my head around to see Ben, now on his feet. Impossible. Just a second ago, he was snoring, I heard, and saw him sleeping. Now, his deep voice scared me. He further intimidated me by stepping closer, now only a few inches away.

"Don't try and escape." He said, staring into my eyes. What? Was he crazy? Wait. He probably was. But, why...? Then I got it. He was a vampire. It had to be. It was the same look Damon gave me when he had tried to compel me. Ben was trying to compel me. Good thing I still had my necklace on. I least, I thought I did. No time to check. "Don't even move. Do you understand?"

I tried playing along. Not only was I bad at lying, but also at acting. That was more of Caroline's thing. Let's just hope he bought it. "I understand." I agreed, my voice monotone.

Ben scoffed, a smile playing on his lips. He bought it. He thought he was actually able to compel me. That probably meant he was a newly turned vampire, not yet aware of his full abilities. Who had turned him? _Another _vampire? He turned around, bending down a bit to get something out of the mini-fridge; a bottle of blood.

I edged closer to the door, taking it a few inches at a time. The cool metal of the door handle pressed against my hand, and I knew this was my only chance, while Ben's back was turned. With all my energy, I quickly opened the door. Sunshine fell on me from the outside, and I thought that I was free. I could get out.

But, of course, I didn't. A petite girl stood on the other end. She was pretty, with black hair and cat-like eyes. Before I could get a look at the surroundings, with strength not corresponding with to her small frame, she grabbed my hair, and dragged me back into the dusty room.

"Seriously?!" She asked, annoyed at Ben, while closing the door. Pain shot through my head, as the roots of my hair threatened to be pulled out by this girl. What did they want with me?

"I told her not to move!" Ben protested, pointing at me. "I did that eye thing that you taught me!"

"And forgot the lesson about vervain!" The girl added. She was still pulling on my hair, leading me over to the door on the other side of the room. She must have been a vampire too. Presumably, the one who turned Ben. Though she looked about the same age as me, she must've been older; she knew about vervain. "She dates a vampire, Ben. Duh!"

So she knew about Stefan. But how? I couldn't ever get a break from this vampire stuff, could I? "Who are you?" I asked through my pain, "What do you want?"

"Shut up!" The girl shouted, then bashed me against the door frame.

"Ah!" I cried out in pain, as my head got hit. I swear, I saw stars.

"Hey!" Ben protested. From the corner of my eye, I saw him start to move towards me, his arms stretched out, as if he was going to help me.

"Stay out of it!" The girl commanded in a sharp voice, making even Ben stop for a second. She didn't waste any time. Grabbing my arm, the girl picked me up like I weighed nothing, and opened the door. She shoved me in, and I heard a slam. I fell against the ceramic, white sink, trying to catch my footing.

What did I ever do to the girl? The bathroom I was inside was small. One vertical, dirty, rectangular mirror was in front of me, showing me my reflection. My wide eyes were terrified, and my hair was all around me, as if caught in a hurricane. The only light above me flickered, making me anxious. I didn't want to be locked in a small, dark room. It was claustrophobic.

Next to be was a curtain and a low tub, but what was inside shocked me. Rather, _who_ was inside. A small body lied there, in regular clothes, the head supported by the edge. I recognized the smooth mocha skin, the medium length hair.

Bonnie!

"Oh, my God!" I said, involuntarily. I crouched beside the tub, taking my best friend's face between my palms. Her eyes were closed; passed out. "Bonnie? Are you okay?"

That was a stupid question. She was unconscious! Of course she wasn't okay. I needed to wake her up, before I started freaking out any more than I already was. What did these vampires want with us? With Bonnie and I? Please be okay...please Bonnie. Tears gathered up into my eyes.

No. No more crying. I wouldn't allow it. I had to be strong. I had to grow.

* * *

Not really having a lot of options, I took out a small white cloth folded across the metal bar in the bathroom. Twisting the rusted metal, water started to pour out from the faucet. I made the small towel damp enough, and then turned the water off. I kneeled beside Bonnie again, placing the cloth to her forehead.

Her eyes fluttered open, and I cried out in relief, "Bonnie!"

"Ariana?" She asked, still disoriented.

"Hey, you feel okay?" I asked her softly, concerned.

"My head..." She said, tentatively massaging her temples.

"Come here." I said, "Let me help." I pulled her upright, and placed the cloth back to her forehead.

Her eyes suddenly widened, and she warned, "Oh my God! Ben is a-!"

I cut her off before she could say anything more, "I know. But, we need to be quiet." I didn't need the vampire's overhearing us, so I walked back over to the sink, and turned the tap on. I sat back next to Bonnie. The tiled ground was hard and cold.

"I'm so stupid!" Bonnie stated, fear covering her featured.

"No, Bonnie." I reassured her. "He had all of us fooled. It's okay."

"What's going on? Why are we here?" She asked, panicked.

I opened my mouth to say "I don't know", but then a thought hit me. "I think it had something to do with the tomb and Emily's spell book." That had to be it. Why else did these vampires kidnap Bonnie? After all, she was a witch. I never wanted this, any of this. But then, why was I here? Don't get me wrong, I was grateful that I could be here for Bonnie, but... I was still confused.

"Spell book?" Bonnie asked.

"Damon said it could be used to open the tomb." I brushed her sweat-laced hair out of her eyes.

"Why didn't I know any of this?" She asked, her eyes accusing.

I sighed, as guilt crept into my stomach. "I never wanted you to be involved. I didn't want it to come to this. It's dangerous."

"What do you mean?" She questioned.

I elaborated, "They need a witch to break the spell... and let all the vampires out."

"No way!" Her fear returned, full force.

"Bonnie," I said, trying to clam her down. If she started to get frightened, so would I. Then, we'd never get out of here. "Look, it's gonna be okay, we'll -"

Before I could continue, the door bursted open. Bonnie and I both turned our gazes to focus on Ben, who stood there, looking angry. I turned my torso so that I somewhat blocked Bonnie from his view. He wasn't going to hurt her, I wouldn't allow it to happen. My arms spread out slightly, in a protective way.

Ben just smirked dangerously, and turned the tap off, keeping his eyes on me. "That's cute." He said, "Thinking you can actually protect your little witchy friend over there."

"At least I'll die trying." I retorted, trying to stop the creepy shivers that made me want to hunch over.

"That's funny." He said, "Considering she said the same thing a few hours ago." He pointed behind me at Bonnie. I tensed.

"You're wasting your time." I heard Bonnie's voice say, "I'm not gonna help you."

Ben smiled devilishly, before his arm reached out and grabbed me. He pulled me into his arms, as Bonnie said, "No!" Her arms caught only air, trying to reach me. Ben was able to rip me away from Bonnie, despite my wiggling.

"That's why she's here." Ben replied to Bonnie's statement. He was using me as a sort of hostage. Awesome... not. He turned back to Bonnie, and leaned a bit closer, almost whispering. "Motivation for you to behave. You know, you shouldn't be so desperate. You made it too easy."

God, if I could rip off his arm, I'd do it. He'd heal anyways. I couldn't believe how rude he was to her. That was low, even if he was a vampire.

He pulled me out of the bathroom, and bath into the main motel bedroom, where the girl vampire sat by the window sill. I stiffened. "She wants to talk to you." Ben said to me, before letting me go, and shutting the bathroom door, with him inside. He better not hurt Bonnie. I could already feel heat gather up inside me at the thought.

I stood there, while the girl scrutinized me with her eyes, making me feel uncomfortable, like some sort of painting that's for sale. "Well, well. Ariana Gilbert." She smirked. I didn't let the fact that she somehow knew my name get to me. She probably knew things about me before I did. "You really are Katherine's doppelganger. You must have the Salvatore boys reeling."

Uh, not that again. I didn't want to be compared to Katherine. It made me feel as if I wasn't a person, just some sort of replica. "Who are you?" I asked, not wanting to sound hostile. She threw me into the wall last time I asked the question.

She gave a evil smirk, "I'm Anna. Your brother may have mentioned me." Her voice turned girly and sarcastic, "I mean, we're like, practically dating."

No. This was Anna. So my suspicions were correct before, the girl Jeremy knew as "Anna" really was a vampire. She better not have hurt Jeremy, or that'd piss me off. I felt like a walking time bomb, about to snap at no particular moment.

* * *

Anna peered out the curtains which were closed. What she was looking at, I had no idea.

"Why do you want to open the tomb?" I asked her out of curiosity.

She looked back at me, her expression completely serious. "My mother's in there," She said. "Katherine couldn't help herself. She just had to toy around with both of the Salvatore brothers. And when she got caught, so did my mother. I watched Jonathan Gilbert take her away."

I felt sympathetic towards her. I knew she was telling the truth by the sadness in her eyes. Behind her walls, I could see the little girl, scarred by the absence of her mother. Her mother's been locked up in that tomb, for a century and a half. Not only that, but it was Jonathan Gilbert who captured her. _Gilbert. _One of my family's ancestor.

I said sincerely, "I'm sorry."

She looked back towards me, surprised. "You really mean that, don't you?"

I nodded, and smiled slightly.

Then, her eyes hardened, and she chuckled without humor. "_Yeah," _she drew out the word, "I think we'll skip the dead mom bonding so you can start serving a purpose."

At the mention of my mom, my chest tightened. I gave her a look. "What's my purpose?"

"Leverage." Anna said, "This belong to you?" She drew something out of her pocket, and I realized what it was. My phone. I didn't move towards her. As if she'd give it back to me anyways. I just stood standing, and waited for her to do whatever it was she was going to do.

* * *

After calling who I imagined was Stefan, Anna gave me a sarcastic smile. She had told him to either have him or Damon meet her in the town square so they could "work together". I didn't want them to meet her, but I didn't have a choice in the matter. Also, Bonnie was here, I wanted to get her as far away as possible from these vampires.

And as if Damon was going to work with her. He had the journal, and he only wanted Katherine back. But, I also felt sorry for Anna, she lost her mother, like me. But unlike me, her mother was still alive, sort of.

Anna walked over to the bathroom, and rapped on the door twice. "I'm leaving," She announced.

Ben's head popped out as he opened the door, pulling out a struggling Bonnie. She immediately calmed down once she saw me, and I gave her a reassuring smile. _It's gonna be okay. We'll figure a way out. _I said with my eyes. But really, was it going to be okay?

"Keep them buttoned down." Anna instructed Ben. "Compulsion won't work. Just use violence."

I sighed, _great._

"Right." Ben said, "I got that."

Anna walked out of the motel, and the door clicked behind her. Ben roughly shoved Bonnie onto the bed next to me, and ordered, "Sit. Behave." He turned to me, "You too."

Reluctantly, I sat down on the bed I had slept on. It wasn't particularly comfy, but, I was in no position to argue. My throat felt dry, but I didn't want to have to ask for water.

"So," Ben started, looking at Bonnie, "You're the key to this. Literally. The one who opens the door. Tell me, how long have you been a witch?"

"Just recently," Bonnie replied stiffly, not hiding the fact that she hated talking to him.

"Hmm." Ben hummed. "Witches don't have eternal life, right? So you guys can die."

"Yep." Bonnie said, "We can die."

"Ah. That sucks." Without moving his head, his eyes shifted over to me as he gave me a crooked smile, and asked, "Now, what's a human doing with vampires and witches?"

"It's none of your business." I replied. Screw him. He kidnaped me, or well, Anna did, and still expected me to answer his questions politely? Hell no.

"It _can_ be," He stated, moving closer to me. "I could turn you, and you'd be able to live forever. Isn't that something you'd want?" No. I didn't want to be a vampire. I didn't want to have to watch my other friends grow old, and die. It was a depressing thought.

I froze as Ben towered over me, leaning his face in so that I could feel his breath on my every time he breathed. His eyes sparkled dangerously, as they devoured my face. Creepy. My eyes glanced over at Bonnie, who had secretly taken the glass of water off of the nightstand while Ben was distracted. I wonder what she was going to do?

I saw the look of concentration on Bonnie's face, and prepared myself. In a fast move, before Ben could touch me, she flicked her wrist so that the water splashed on Ben's arm. In the next second, a fire ran up his jacket, I could feel the heat. This was Bonnie's doing; her witch powers. Ben yelled as he tried to pat down the flames. Fires killed vampires. But, obviously, this wasn't a full on fire. It was just a distraction. He'd be okay.

Bonnie signaled to me, and I hopped off of the bed, making my way towards her. She already stood by the front door, opening it slightly. We could make it. A streak of hope went though me, just a few more feet and -

I yelped as a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist, dragging me back towards someone's torso. Ben's arm no longer held fire, though his jacket sleeve was slightly burnt.

"Come back in!" Ben shouted at a fearful looking Bonnie, pissed off. His voice reverberated through the walls of the room, sounding more demon-like than human. "Shut the door!" My heart pumped faster, even more than before.

"Don't hurt her!" Bonnie said to Ben, tears escaping her eyes. She was scared... for me.

"Don't make me!" Ben growled next to my ear. I could barely move.

But I could speak. "Bonnie, just go!" I told her, breathless. At least one of us could make it out, and I'd want it to be her.

"No." She set her jaw defiantly, and slammed the door.

"Lock it!" Ben commanded again.

Bonnie's tears glistened, as she dead-bolted the door.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Anna sat down on a bench in the town square, expecting one of the Salvatore brothers. She had come into contact with Jeremy and Elena just about a minute ago. Jeremy, Ariana's brother, had invited her to the party while Elena was sort of the tag along. Though Anna didn't want to admit it, she knew that the popular Gilbert sister was Ariana. It was pretty obvious.

Anna was planning on using Jeremy to bring her mother back. Elena would be back up, just in case. But, she didn't want to mess with Ariana. For one thing, the Salvatore brothers would kill her. But, Ariana could be used, as long as she wasn't killed in the process.

"Got a hot date or are you planning on nabbing the entire Gilbert family?" Damon's voice came from beside Anna, startling her. He sat on the bench as well, looking calm and collected, yet, a bit annoyed.

"A party, right next to the old cemetery." Anna replied, smiling sarcastically. She wouldn't have guessed it would be Damon who was the one to show up. But, he was the only one with the spell book, obviously not willing to give it to his brother. "Isn't that nice of them? Lot's of warm bodies for starving vampires."

"I told you." Damon said, "I work alone."

"Yeah, so do I." Anna said, her voice hard. "But you're minus a witch and _I'm _minus a spell book. So... what do you say?"

She was implying that the two would work together. Damon changed the subject, "Stefan will come after you, you know that. For messing with Ariana."

"Then he won't be too happy if I kill her when I don't get what I want." Anna retorted, standing up, and walking away.

Damon stared at her back, as anger welled up inside him. Why the hell did she have to kidnap Ariana? He could usually disguise himself into being a ruthless vampire with no remorse. But when it came down to that one girl... he couldn't let anything happen to her. He'd never before felt the pull towards anyone as strong as the pull between him and Ariana. But, he was convinced that she didn't feel the same way, and never would.

Still, before getting to _her, _everyone would have to pass through Damon first.

Damon groaned, and succumbed, "Fine. When do you want to do this?"

Anna stopped walking, and turned back around to Damon, giving him a huge smirk, as if she knew that that would obviously be his answer. Even Damon Salvatore would sacrifice his pride for Ariana. "God, it's like 1864 all over again." Anna walked back over to him. "You Salvatores are truly pathetic when it comes down to women." Then, her face turning completely serious, she answered, "Tonight. After sundown. Meet at the church."

She walked away. _Fell's church. _Under that was the tomb.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Bonnie and I resumed our places on the bed. We pouted slightly in fear, as Ben tried to calm down. He paced in front of us, staying alert so that we would never escape. Damn it. How _were _we going to escape? Were we even going to survive? I looked to Bonnie, who shook slightly. I'd sacrifice my life before anybody could get to her. I wasn't allowing her to die. Never.

All of a sudden, the door flew open, slamming into the wall with full force. Sunlight poured into the dark room, and temporarily blinded me for a second. I heard a sizzling sound as Ben screamed, ducking into the shadows between the two beds. I almost forgot, Ben didn't have a daylight ring.

Stefan strode in, and said in relief, "Ariana!"

"Stefan!" I said back, and smiled broadly as I jumped into his arms. He caught me, and held me for a second in his warm and familiar embrace. I was so glad to see us. He came and saved us! "Go! Get outside!"

I nodded, but then I saw Ben, hiding in the corner of the bed, curled up into a ball. "Stefan-" I started.

"I know." He said back, and nodded. "Don't worry. I won't."

He got my message. I didn't want Ben dying. I know, it sounded stupid, call me retarded. But... nobody deserved to die. Even people who were thought to have no heart. Because, deep down, they do. Everybody should have a chance at living. I grabbed Bonnie's arm, as we ran out of the motel, crying out in relief. We were in the sun; safe.

I felt happy, almost giddy that we were both okay. Bonnie hugged me so tight that I had to remind her that I still needed to breath. I wasn't dead yet.

* * *

Everything turned serious as Stefan and I stood in the kitchen of Bonnie's house. Bonnie and Grams sat at the kitchen table, as we discussed what we should do about the vampires. They were trying to get into the tomb, and so was Damon.

"Guys..." I spoke up, "I think we should let Damon get Katherine back. If we help him, maybe all this would be solved."

"No!" Bonnie objected, "He doesn't deserve to get what he wants."

"Bonnie..." I gave her a pleading look. She only saw Damon as a remorseless murderer, and in a way he was. But, he could kind when he wanted to, and willing to sacrifice. He was just lonely, and in need of company. He loved Katherine, and if he wanted her out of the tomb, then so would I. Love changed people.

Also, Anna wanted to get her mother out. As long as they didn't hurt anyone, I'd be okay with it. She wasn't gonna stop until she got her mother out, either. The bond between and mother and daughter was unbreakable. I'd know.

I looked up to see Stefan. He looked conflicted, deciding whether or not to let the tomb be opened.

"Witched being pulled down by vampire problems." Grams smirked. "As much as we tried to do to stay out of it. I'll open the tomb. You get your brother's girl and destroy the rest with fire. Then this will all be over."

She aimed the last part at Stefan. He simply nodded. Good, he was agreeing.

I sighed, all the other vampires would die. Whether they deserved it or not? I don't know. They've probably killed a bunch of people though. It's just knowing that more vampires would be killed that bothered me. At least Damon would be happy.

"We still have to get Damon to agree." Stefan said, looking at me. "He's still angry that we lied to him."

I wasn't sure whether I should've felt guilty for Damon, or angry at him. I did lie to him, but it was to protect the people I cared about. I was still angry and fearful though, because the last time I saw him, he had threatened to turn me into a vampire.

"He's just hurt over our betrayal." I said to Stefan. "I'll talk to him, and get him to trust us again."

Stefan looked at me for a second, with an unreadable expression. I smiled slightly, and nodded. I could trust Damon, as long as he trusted us. He was willing to do it before, and he can learn to do it again.

* * *

I walked into the living room parlor at the boarding house. Damon's back was turned towards me, as he pulled on a jacket, obviously preparing to leave.

He turned around when he heard me, the perks to being a vampire; super hearing and senses. He stood there for a few seconds with surprise on his face when he realized I was there. Surprise and relief. He must've heard about Anna kidnapping me. So, he didn't want me dead after all.

"I'm gonna have to exchange the locks." Damon said, not actually serious, "You stage a jailbreak?"

He leaned over to pick up the old grimoire from the wooden table in front of him. "Stefan saved us." I corrected him.

"Ah, brother." He said, sarcastically, "Ever the white knight."

I took a deep breath, "I convinced Bonnie to help you." The witches were going to open the tomb, in order for Damon to go in. I was grateful for that fact. As long as they stayed far enough away from the vampires, they wouldn't get hurt.

"I doubt that." Damon simply said.

I sighed, and walked down the soft-carpeted stair, into the sunken part of the room. I needed to let Damon know that we were on his side, we wanted to help him. He was hurt, and I wanted to mend that. "Look," I said softly, looking into his icy gaze. "I'm not sure whether or not I should be sorry that I lied to you. I was protecting the people that I love, Damon. But so were you, in your own way. I need you to understand that we're all on the same side, after the same thing."

I saw something flash through his eyes. Just when I thought that he'd actually agree, he stated, "Not interested."

He turned around, and started to walk away from me. I panicked and pleaded, "Please, Damon. Yesterday, you were willing to trust us."

"No," Damon said, turning back around to face me, his eyes hard. "I was willing to trust _you." _He shook his head, "Fool me once, shame on you."

I took a step towards him. My eyes locked with his. "Damon, I promise you, I will help you get Katherine back."

Damon groaned, as his eyes looked away for a second before settling back onto me. He said, unconvinced, "I wish I could believe you."

I breathed deeply. "You and I..." I started, unsure of how to word it, "We have something. An understanding. I know that my betrayal hurt you, different from how it is with you and Stefan. But Damon, I swear, that you can trust me. I'll be there for you, I promise."

His eyes softened, and... he seemed to have succumbed. But, for good measure, I raised my arms behind my neck, and unclasped my vervain necklace. I held the silver pendant in my hand for a few seconds, before placing the necklace on the table. Damon's eyes, meticulously scrutinized my every move.

"If you don't believe me, than ask me if I'm telling the truth." I told him. I knew he wouldn't actually compel me. We respected each other, therefore, I was just letting him know that he could trust me, one hundred percent. He had to, or else everyone would be in danger because of the consequences.

I stood there, waiting for him to move. His eyes seemed to be glued, staring into my own. I almost forgot the reason of why I was standing there in the first place.

I remembered, once he moved again. Placing the grimoire on the table, he slowly walked towards me, only stopping about a foot away.

He stared into my eyes, as he stated, "You know Anna won't stop, by the way, no matter what I do."

I nodded. I was trying to decide whether or not to just let Anna have her mother. It seemed fair, but... at what cost? "We'll figure it out." I told Damon.

Without breaking our gaze, Damon picked up my necklace, and raised his fingers to my neck. He clasped the necklace's strands together behind me, his fingers sending shivers down my spine. His touch was like a fire so hot, it felt like ice. It pervaded through my entire body, spreading warmth. His fingers stroked my hair for a second, before he placed his arm back at his sides.

My necklace felt cool against my skin, now that his fingers left it. I knew he wouldn't compel me.

"I'm choosing to trust you, don't make me regret it." He said, then gulped, changing the subject. "You knew I wouldn't compel you, I can see it in your eyes, the way you seem to trust me completely as well. We do have something, but it will always be more than just '_an understanding_". Never forget that."

He walked away then, leaving me to my own thoughts.

What did he mean by that statement?

I didn't focus on that right now. I was happy and glad that he was willing to trust me again. Maybe, our problems could be solved. We'd get Katherine back, and my family and friends would remain safe. The only thing that left me conflicted, was Anna. How were we supposed to deal with her mother? I needed to leave this up to Stefan. He'd find out a solution, hopefully.

* * *

I offered to drive Damon to the church tonight for the opening of the tomb, and he agreed. Once we got there, though, I was first confused on why there were so many people, drinking, laughing, and playing around bonfires. Teenagers wandered around drunk, as Damon and I tried to weave our way in between them.

"Gosh," I said to Damon, who walked next to me as we went deeper into the woods. "I totally forgot. Duke's throwing a party. I hope the people stay clear of the church." I didn't think I could handle anymore guilt, so I hope the'd keep near the edge of the woods, and not come any closer to the church. Especially, since many of my friends were here. Actually, I think I knew everyone here.

"Your hope, not mine." Damon said, replying to my previous statement.

I gave him a look. But, before I could scold him, or anything, Caroline and Matt walked up to us, with huge smiles on their faces.

"Ariana, hey!" Matt called out, practically jogging to stand right in front of me.

"Hey," I smiled back. Damon stopped walking as well, an groaned. He looked as if he was annoyed, and bored. _We'll get Katherine in just a sec, _I thought.

"Ariana!" Caroline said, as she stopped next to Matt, intertwining her fingers with Matt's. "Oh my God, where have you been?"

I was smiling, happy that Matt and Caroline were together. But then, I was confused when I saw Matt give Caroline an annoyed glance, which she clearly missed, or chose to ignore.

"Long story, no time to tell it." Damon simply said, obviously wanting to get out of here.

Caroline glared at Damon, "I wasn't talking to you."

"Sure you were." Damon narrowed his eyes at her as well. This was getting awkward. Caroline and Damon had history, so did Matt and I. And now, Matt and Caroline were together, or... so I thought.

Matt, being the peacekeeper he is, changed the subject, and held out his hand to Damon. He politely introduced himself, "We haven't met. I'm Matt."

Damon barely glanced out Matt's outstretched hand, and said, "Matt, there's a reason we haven't met." I gave him a look. He didn't need to be rude. Damon looked at me, ignoring my two friends, and said, "You and I are going that way." It was obviously not an invitation for Matt and Caroline. I was grateful, but, Damon could at least try to be polite.

Damon grabbed my arm, and practically dragged me away. I looked back at Matt and Caroline, and knew that I only had about a second to apologize. "I'm sorry, guys." Damon was one hundred and... something, years old. He didn't want to have to deal with teenage stuff. But, did he really have to be so rude to Matt? I mean, what did he ever do to Damon?

Whatever, Damon wanted Katherine out as soon as possible, and so we'd get her out of that tomb, now.

Matt was glaring daggers into Damon's back as Caroline gave me a worried look. I didn't blame them. If I were in their places, I'd probably have the same expression on my face.

* * *

"Brother. Witches." Damon greeted as we finally arrived at the church ruins. It was almost pitch black, but I could vaguely make out the other shapes in the darkness: Bonnie, Grams, and Stefan.

Damon strode past the three supernatural creatures with the grimoire in his hand. He descended the stairs, into the tomb, while I stood by Stefan.

"Everything okay?" He asked me. I could hear by the tone in his voice that he was a bit surprised that Damon had actually agreed to work with us. Just a bit.

"Yeah, everything's good." I said to him, "We ready."

"I guess so." Bonnie said, as she came to join us.

* * *

When we entered into the underground, I didn't really know what to expect. Spiders? Dirt? Coffins? Bats? Yeah, I knew. Vampire stereotypes. But, that's what was running through my imagination at the time.

But really, it was just dark, gloomy, and covered in dirt. So yeah, creepy, but not like... ghosts or zombies or anything. I could make out the shape of a pentagram on a slab of rock by the entrance into the tomb. Through this stone door, must've been where the vampires were held.

I shivered involuntarily, and not because of the cold.

Grams brought out four huge torches and placed them in front of the slab of rock, creating a square formation. She took out another torch, and suddenly, it was on fire. She must've used her witch powers. That fire lit up the entire place, casting a yellow-orange color throughout the grey and brown underground tomb.

"Air. Earth. Fire." Grams said, as she lit up each of the torches, symbolizing the elements. At the last one, she lit it up, saying "Water." Bonnie took out a water bottle from the bag she brought, and handed it to Grams, who sprinkled the water near the one torch.

It was really cool to watch. Too bad, what they were about to do was actually really dangerous. I suddenly felt like it was my fault for dragging them into this. I guess, it was.

I was leaning against the "doorway", or entrance - whatever - to the tomb, watching from behind. Stefan and Damon stood off to the side, watching the witches set up their spell.

I saw Damon unravel something from his back pocket. It was something plastic, with a dark colored liquid in it. A blood bag.

"What's that?" Stefan asked him, more interested in asking what Damon was gonna do with it.

"It's for Katherine." Damon smirked, "Gotta have something to get her going. Unless your girl's offering a vein to tap." Damon looked back at me, and smirked. I raised my eyebrows at him, while Stefan just sighed. Damon whispered something to him, but I didn't quite catch it.

Bonnie tore my attention away from the two brothers, as she and Grams looked back at us, and said, "We're ready."

* * *

Bonnie and Grams stood inside the "square of fire", facing each other. They interlocked their hands with one another, shutting their eyes. Suddenly, they started reciting something, in a language I didn't recognize. They were so skilled, that their voices sounded almost as if they were one. It creeped me out. They must have been reciting a spell, in like... witch language, or something.

"What are they saying?" Damon asked no one in particular.

"Sounds Latin." Stefan said, his brows scrunching up.

I shook my head. I really had no idea what the witches were saying. I didn't think it was Latin, the witch language must've been much older than even Latin. Though really, I couldn't be sure.

A few more seconds past, and the witches were still reciting the spell. Now I was really creeped out. I've never seen Bonnie nor Grams act this way. They seemed really serious, too serious. Then, the torches flared up. The already bright flames further increased the light in the tomb, I could feel the temperature raise.

Stefan stepped towards me a bit, his back still to me. He was standing in between me and the nearest flame, as if protecting me from it. I took his hand, and squeezed it, silently telling him it was okay, not wanting to disrupt the witches' recitation.

That's when I heard a creak. It was the sound of stone and rock colliding against each other, like an avalanche of some sort. I looked to where the stone slab doorway was, and found it opening slowly, revealing a crack of absolute darkness.

Bonnie and Grams stopped chanting, like a music player turning off. They looked up, and Bonnie exclaimed, "It worked!"

"Of course it worked." Grams said, smiling rather haughtily. I tried to peer into the little crack of stone, but all that was revealed to me, was the color black.

Damon looked in my direction, at where Stefan stood, next to me. "We have some fires to build."

Oh, right. They were gonna burn almost all the vampires. All but one, of course. Stefan turned his head at me, and gently touched my shoulder, "I'm gonna go get the gasoline, I'll be right back."

"Okay," I nodded, and Stefan left to ascend the rugged stairs. There was a moment of coldness, right after his hand left mine. Damon's eyes traveled to Bonnie, then Grams, and rested on me.

"You ready?" He asked me.

"What?" I asked, confused. I was way to distracted to pay attention. Not a good idea.

Damon looked to the witches, and questioned, "You think I'm gonna go in there by myself so you can seal me in?"

He walked the few steps towards me, and placed a hand on my lower back. Not surprisingly, I was still confused. I needed to clear my head.

"Don't take her in." Grams threatened Damon, "I'll bring the walls down."

"You'll bring the walls down if I don't." Damon stated, "You think I trust you?"

"As much as I trust you." Grams retorted.

Then, I got it. Damon didn't trust the witches. He thought that by bringing me into a tomb full of vampires, they wouldn't seal me in. Just great. I was being used as leverage. Again. I sighed. I'd probably be okay with it... if not for the twenty-or-so vampires in there. I involuntarily shivered, not wanting to go in. But, I guess, we needed to trust each other. Trust breeds trust.

"Okay, guys, I'll go in with him." I said, reluctantly.

"No!" Bonnie and Grams objected at the same time.

"He needs to know that you're not gonna shut the door once he gets inside." I told them, "I get it. I'll go."

I didn't want the witches locking him in there, but, I also didn't want to go in. I wondered what it would be like once I got in there. Obviously, according to Stefan, they supernatural beings won't be running around rabid. They'd be very weak, almost as if dead.

How would Stefan react when he found out I was in the tomb? I don't know, pissed maybe? I couldn't worry about that now.

After grabbing one of the torches from the ground, breaking the "square of fire", Damon went to the doorway to the inner tomb, and stopped, looking back at me expectantly.

I gave Bonnie and Grams a look of reassurance. Their worried gazes were making _me _worry. Turning my head back to Damon, I started walking towards him. I entered the tomb after him.

* * *

The inner tomb was, much like the tomb outside, pitch black, only illuminated by the torch Damon was holding up. It was cramped, dirty, and full of dark secrets, pressing upon me like a gale. My heart beat sped up, as nostalgia and claustrophobia deluged me. I felt like running back out, but at this point, I was so lost that I probably wouldn't make it five steps in the right direction.

Geez, searching for Katherine was hard. Suddenly, I heard something. I wisp of the wind, but of course, there's no wind. A whisper, a mumble, and murmuring sound of incoherence. "What is that?" I whispered to Damon, who I knew had heard the sound as well. It wasn't my imagination.

"They can hear you." Damon stated. I shivered, again. "Now, where is she? Stay here."

Suddenly, Damon was gone. I was left in the dark, no light whatsoever. Seriously? He left me in the tomb full of vampires... to got search for Katherine? Wait. I shouldn't be so surprised. He loved her, after all. I sighed. Better find Damon before my fear crept up to me.

* * *

I was able to fish out my small flashlight from my jacket pocket, and I tried using it as a light. I could barely see anything still. Where's a giant torch when you need one? Oh, right. With Damon.

Then, the strange whispering sounded up again; the whispering of the vampires. Startled, I stopped suddenly, and tripped over something. "The hell," I wheezed, as I fell on the dirty ground, the air rushing out of me. My flashlight had fallen from my hand, and I went to retrieve it, when I saw what the beam was pointing at. It looked like a person, wait no, a vampire, sort of. It wasn't like she was dead, but more... mummified? Is that a word? I took a step closer, curious, when suddenly, her eyes opened, and stared straight at me. I shrieked and jumped back. Her eyes were bloodshot, to the point where I could barely see her pupils.

I waited a second, but she didn't attack me, though her eyes still followed my movements. She was slumped against the wall, not moving. I guess she needed blood. I felt sorry, but I wasn't about to go cut myself and let her feed on me. She wouldn't be able to stop, for she hasn't had a taste of blood since 1864. Anyways, we were here to get Katherine, and to burn all the others. Yes... that's what we had to do.

I slowly bent, and picked the flashlight off the ground. I spun around, and saw many other people - excuse me, vampires - in similar positions, their eyes red with hunger, I assume. Then, the light from my flashlight landed on someone standing, and I shrieked again.

It was Anna, who was very much alive and moving. Not that I should've been surprised; she was here for her mother.

* * *

"Oh, if it isn't little Miss Gilbert, the one who _everybody _adores." Anna smiled sarcastically, shining her bigger and brighter flashlight at me. "Come to feed the vampires." She took an intimidating step towards me, and automatically, I took one back.

But, my feet stumbled on something uneven and soft. Looking down, I realized that I had bumped into one of the vampires. Anna rushed towards this vampire, all the humor gone from her face. She kneeled beside her, and shook her arm, "Mother! Mother."

Anna's mother. Now that I see them, I could see some sort of resemblance, even when one was barely even alive. They both had dark hair, and slanted eyes. I could tell when the Anna's mother turned her bloodshot gaze at me.

"Your boyfriend did this, you know." Anna said, coldly to me.

I shook my head, "It wasn't their fault. They were trying to protect themselves and their families."

"No, it _was _their fault." Anna retorted. "The Salvatores, the Fell's, the Forbes, the Lockwoods... Jonathan Gilbert. I made a choice a long time ago that it would be Gilbert blood that brought her back to life. I had Jeremy all ready to go but...your blood smells more...appetizing..."

I caught on to what she was saying. She was gonna use me. "Anna," I said, trying to disguise my fear, "What is it you really want?" Was it revenge she was after? Because 1864 was a long time ago. Well, to a seventeen-year-old human, it was.

She snorted, "What are you, stupid? I want my mother back, and you're gonna give me what I need." Her face changed; eyes turning red, veins popping out, fangs extended - she lunged towards me.

Before I could react, she grabbed my arm, and bit down hard on my wrist. My scream echoed through the stone walls at the pain. Anna pulled me towards the ground, and placed my bleeding wrist by her mother's lips. At first, nothing happened. But then, the mummified vampire started to move her head, and she bit down, sucking my blood.

"I'm gonna get you out." Anna said to her mother. I groaned at the pain, and stopped struggling once I realized how useless it was. You'd think I'd know by now not to try to fight a healthy vampire. Some instincts I just couldn't shake. Maybe Anna wouldn't kill me. I mean, all she needed was some blood, right?

Then, I heard a familiar voice shout: "Let her go!"

In a blur, Stefan tackled Anna off of me. I breathed a sigh of relief as I clumsily stood up again, ripping away my wrist from Anna's mother.

"No!" Anna shouted, about to rush towards me again. Stefan was back again, though, as he took a protective stance in front of me, blocking me from Anna's view.

"Go. Go." Stefan instructed me, "I'm right behind you."

I didn't want to leave Stefan here with Anna, but something told me to not get in his way. He could take care of himself.

* * *

It was like running in a labyrinth through the stone walls, in the darkness. My eyes were barely adjusted to the pitch black scene, but it was enough for me to not start bumping into things, or vampires. I finally saw an illumination of light up ahead, and felt warmer air rush at me when I finally sprinted out of the crack, and into the outer tomb, where the fire was burning bright.

I smiled when I saw Bonnie and Grams there, perfectly intact. But, they looked really worried. Was it because of Anna?

"Ariana," Bonnie started, "Stefan..."

I asked, confused, "What is it?"

Grams and Bonnie's gazes locked on something behind me. I turned around to see Stefan standing there, but he was still technically in the inner tomb. Why wasn't he coming out.

"Stefan," I asked him, "What's wrong?"

"It's gonna be okay." I heard Bonnie say from behind me, "We'll fix it."

I shook my head, still not understanding.

"I can't." Stefan said.

"What? Stefan tell me." I said.

"The spell's still up." Bonnie said, "We can't get them out yet."

"Them" was referring to the vampires. Wait, hold on. So, vampires can't get out of the tomb? That means Anna, her mother, Katherine, Damon... and Stefan... couldn't get out. So all the witches did was open the tomb? Grams was planing this the whole time, just waiting for a chance to lock all the vampires away. I felt a twinge of anger, but I couldn't blame her. She was protecting Bonnie, and I respected that. I was trying to protect the people I loved too. Or, at least, I thought I was. I wasn't sure whether or not a side was actually "good". There wasn't a clear line between "good" and "evil". They were only one step away from each other.

When I got over my initial shock, I asked Stefan, "Why did you go in there if you knew you might not come back out?"

Stefan looked down, not answering for a second.

He finally said, "I couldn't take the risk that you'd get hurt."

So he really went in there, just to save me? "But Stefan," I protested, breathless, "You could've been stuck in there, for... who knows how long?"

He looked at me, and smiled sheepishly, "I didn't care."

I turned my head to the side, not knowing which emotion to show. I felt happy that he'd sacrifice everything to save me, but also anger, for the exact same reason.

I changed the subject, remembering something, "We can't leave Damon in there. We have to get him out."

"I know," Stefan said, nodding.

"Even if we break through the seal, we won't be able to hold it long." Grams said from behind me. I looked at her and Bonnie, seeing that they were preparing to break the spell. We would get Damon and Stefan out, we had to.

When I turned back to look at the tomb door, Stefan was already disappearing behind it, going to find Damon. I heard a whispered, "Stay outside the tomb," from Stefan. I barely heard it.

* * *

The torches remaining flared up again as Bonnie and Grams recited another spell, a different one. My eyes were focused on the tomb, so when I saw Anna and her mother come out, I knew the spell was working.

I should've been afraid, but I wasn't. Anna's eyes looked so much kinder, filled with love and worry as she helped her weak mother across the dirt. I almost smiled at the scene, genuinely happy that Anna had gotten her mother back. Perhaps they wouldn't kill anyone. Revenge was hard to shake when it was set in your mind, but Anna seemed to be rid of it know, as she focused solely on her mother's welfare.

"I'm sorry," Anna said to me, her eyes soft. She meant it. "I'm sorry that I used you. I just wanted my mother back. You would understand that." I nodded, "Jeremy's fine. He's outside. I won't touch him."

Jeremy was okay, I sighed in relief again. That was one more person that was okay, for the time being. Once Anna and her mother left, I turned back to the tomb door. The fire faltered, and I started to worry as Bonnie and Grams started to look faint.

"Bonnie, keep going!" Grams instructed to her granddaughter. She turned to me, eyes wide in fear, "They better hurry."

Suddenly, the fire was extinguished, and I was filled with a moment of dread. They better get out now, or... or... I wasn't gonna think about it.

Then, I thought, _Screw Stefan's orders._

I ran into the tomb again.

* * *

I could faintly hear Stefan and Damon arguing, as I followed their voices frantically.

"Damon, we need to get out of here." Stefan was trying to persuade Damon.

I could barely hear Damon, he was mumbling, but it got louder as I got closer.

"If we don't leave now, we're not getting out." Stefan said forcefully again.

Damon questioned, "How could she not be in here?"

Katherine. Katherine wasn't in the tomb. I knew it. Who else would Damon be talking about. Then, where was she? Dead? Alive and traveling the world? Without Stefan or Damon? Seriously? We came all this way, went through all this trouble, to find out that Katherine was never in the tomb? The hell! I felt like bashing my skull into the stone wall next to me. But first, I needed to get my boyfriend and his brother out.

"It's not worth spending all of eternity down here." Stefan said, his voice was getting louder now, I was just around the corner. I saw a light up ahead. "She's not worth it!"

"No!" I heard Damon shout angrily.

I finally broke through to a small opening, where the torch burned on one of the walls. Damon was there looking anguished and frustrated. Stefan stood next to him, trying to rush and convince his brother to leave. "Damon!" I pleaded. Stefan shone his light at me, so that they could see me more clearly, "Please. Let's get out of here."

I was already backing out of the room. Damon looked at me more a few seconds, before following me, Stefan right behind him.

* * *

When we exited the tomb, the fire suddenly ceased to exist as the witches stopped chanting. The stone door closed right behind Stefan, and I hugged him with so much force that if he were a human, it'd probably hurt. He hugged me back, though not quite as strong. Even in such a climatic situation as this, he was still always gentle with me. I was just glad that everyone was alright. We'd all be okay. Then I thought of someone: Jeremy.

* * *

Stefan and I ran up the stairs, and back into the cold night air. I spotted a body on the floor a few yards away, and I quickly rushed towards it, crouching beside it. Jeremy. He groaned as Stefan came to kneel next to me. Jeremy was okay, he was alive.

"He's okay." Stefan stated, strengthening my suspicions. "He's alright."

I nodded, and looked around me for a second. My heart broke when I saw Damon standing there. So many emotions passed through his face, which passed through me. I could feel his misery, his pain, his suffering. It was as if I was living it.

Katherine, the girl he's loved for over a hundred years, whom he's waited for all that time, is not in the tomb. All this work, the years of trying to search for her; equals to nothing. I couldn't imagine the disappointment, the confusion, the anger, of this realization. I've never spent the time searching for someone, definitely not for a century and a half.

Rising from the ground, I walked towards Damon, cautiously, not wanting to make him feel more tense than he already was. When I was just a few inches in front of him, I raised my arms, and wrapped my arms around his neck. I pulled closer against him, and rested my head on his shoulder. For a few seconds, he didn't move. Then, his arms wrapped around my lower back, as he pressed me closer to him. The strange icy fire filled me again at his touch as I forgot about everything. I didn't care that there were vampires in Mystic Falls, that there were witches, that Jeremy was still on the ground and hurt. I didn't even care that Stefan was a few meters away from me, watching us.

Everything flew out the window in my mind, as Damon embraced me. I may not be in love with him, but we definitely had a connection. Different to the one I had with Stefan. I loved Stefan, with all my heart. But when I was in contact with Damon... it was hard to remember who it was that I was loyal to. I could feel his pain, and I wanted to relieve him of that. So we stood like that, for a long time, comforting each other through no words.

None at all.

* * *

I carried a glass of water and an Aspirin into Jeremy's room, after driving him home. Jeremy was okay, and I couldn't get over the fact as I smiled and asked, "How's your head?"

He sat on the bed, half covered in his blankets. He placed a hand on his forehead, and answered, "Uh - it's alright. I just... I wish I knew how I passed out. I didn't drink that much, I swear."

"Do you remember anything?" I asked him. I wasn't sure if he caught any of the "vampire" stuff. I wasn't sure if I wanted him to know or not. It seemed too early. Anna would've been the one to knock him out, but, did she do it secretly? Or did Jeremy know what she really was? Would we ever even _see _Anna again?

"The whole thing's pretty cloudy." Jeremy replied, "I just... I know how this looks. I'm - I'm sorry."

"No, Jeremy," I shook my head. He thought that I was mad at him for drinking. That was probably the last concern I had right now. "It's okay. Just... don't drink so much next time, 'kay?" I winked at him.

He laughed, "Yeah, okay."

"I'm gonna head to Bonnie's for a bit." I told him, "You need anything?"

"Nah, I'm good," Jeremy responded with a smile, "I'm just gonna crash."

"Okay," I said, "Jenna and Elena are here. You can call me if something's urgent, but I'll be back soon."

"See you later." He said, closing his eyes, and resting his head on the pillow.

"Bye," I got up, and closed his bedroom door.

* * *

Once I got to Grams's house, I checked in with her and Bonnie to make sure they were okay. Grams was a bit tired, so she went to rest, while Bonnie was brewing some tea.

I started to feel jittery, and just decided to check up on Stefan and Damon.

Dialing Stefan's cell on my phone, I waited for him to pick up.

"Ariana, is everything alright? Are you okay?" He asked me. I may have expected some other greeting any other day, but today's been... a long day, definitely. Stefan was asking these questions out of his concern for me.

"Yeah, everything is...fine." I half-lied.

"What's wrong?" Stefan questioned, hearing the strange tone in my voice.

"I'm fine," I said, "It's just... is Damon gonna be okay?"

I heard Stefan sigh, "I don't know." He said, truthfully, "We'll just... have to wait and see."

I nodded, sadly, "Yeah. Well, I'll call you later,"

"Okay, bye, be safe." He said.

"Bye,"

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Stefan walked into the parlor. Damon was sitting down on the sofa-chair, staring blankly at the fire. Stefan took a seat on the couch beside him, in silence.

Damon had loved Katherine. But Katherine had never loved him. He felt hate, under all the sadness and misery. Hate and anger. He felt like ripping her head off.

He realized suddenly, that he may have loved Katherine before. But now... after knowing the things he knows now, he could say that he wished her dead. Katherine had been alive this whole time, and she never checked up on Damon. Never so much as said "hey". Next time he saw her, that bitch would be dead.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

"Ariana!" I heard Bonnie's frantic voice call my name. I dashed through the hallway, and arrived at Grams's bedroom. But, I saw, made me cry. Grams lied on the bed, not moving, as Bonnie kept shaking her, trying to get her to wake up. Grams didn't even twitch in response. "Help! Wake up! She's not breathing!" Bonnie cried harder. "Please, wake up!"

I ran out of the room, and grabbed wall phone, and dialed 911. "I need an ambulance to Oak Street." I told the receiver, "It's an emergency."

Grams must've been too worn out from the spell, and just... she just...

I had to try and stay strong, for Bonnie. She'd need it.

When I hung up, and re-entered the bedroom, I saw Bonnie frantically flipping through the pages of the grimoire, looking for a spell. My heart sunk, as I gently rested my hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her.

"No! No!" Bonnie protested against me. "I can fix it! Grams, I can fix this!"

"Bonnie," I said, softly, rubbing her shoulders. They were shaking so hard that I thought she was gonna suddenly erupt in an explosion of sorrow. "Bonnie, I'm here for you. I'm sorry."

Bonnie sobbed louder, and I wrapped my arms around her. We grieved together, her tears stained my clothing. But, once again, I didn't care. Bonnie needed me, I was her best friend. We'd be there for each other, always.

* * *

**Yay! I'm finally finished with this long episode. I hope you enjoyed it! I can't say how much I LOVE reading all your reviews. They're wonderful and amazing. Thank you all for reading and reviewing this story. Not to sound corny, but it makes me really happy to know that people like this story. And even if you hate it, I'd like to know so that I can change it. I accept any feedback. :)**

**-Spiralcloud**


	16. A Few Good Men

**A FEW GOOD MEN**

The breeze in the hair blew my hair around me gently, caressing and tickling my face. I sat on the cushioned porch swing, just thinking. Or maybe, I didn't think at all. Maybe I just sat there, and thought about how nice it would be, without all this supernatural crap in my life.

Grams died the other day, and I was slowly dying with her, inside. The funeral was nice, yet it didn't seem complete. As if she shouldn't have passed away. But I had to try to be happy, and think that she hadn't died in vain. But, she did. Katherine wasn't in the tomb, Damon was swimming in misery, Bonnie was depressed, and Grams had died. All, for what? Nothing. Anna got her mother back at least. But really, opening the tomb had only surfaced more problems. The weight crushed me.

I call Bonnie, to check up on her. She didn't pick up, so I left a voicemail, "Hi Bonnie. It's me, checking in, just to see how you're doing. We all miss you. Hope your doing okay at your Aunt's. We love you. So when you're ready, come home. Bye," Fortunately, my voice didn't crack.

Jenna walked up onto the porch, and I smiled slightly at her. "What are you doing out here?" Jenna laughed, "It's cold."

"Just thinking." I said, "About Grams, Bonnie...everything; nothing." I shrugged, "It's hard to know right now actually."

Jenna smiled at me sadly, and she took a seat next to me on the swing. I held onto the railing when the seat shook. She placed her arm around me, and pulled me against her. I rested my head against her shoulder, and we sat like that for a minute. The comfort was nice. She was family, and I loved her. I loved how big her heart was, how she cared about others. How she cared about me.

Then, she broke the silence, by saying softly, "I did some digging on you and Elena's adoption. About your mother. Come inside, I'll show you."

I took a deep breath, and nodded. I needed to know about my birth parents. I needed to know more, before I could tell anyone else the truth. "Okay,"

* * *

Once Jenna and I were seated in the warm living room of my house, she pulled out her laptop and started typing in her username and password.

"Your dad kept everything from his medical practice - records, logs, old appointment books." Jenna said, as she pulled out a browning small book. Dad's journal. She turned it to a page, and said, "I found an entry from the night you were born. Patient and birth date. Isobel Peterson."

Isobel. That was my mother's name. Elena's mother's name. "Do you think that's her real name?"

"Pregnant teenage runaway?" Jenna questioned, and answered, "Probably not. First name, maybe. But where'd she get Peterson? Classmate? Best friend? So I binged it." Jenna typed in "Peterson" on Bing, and said, "I searched for all of the Petersons in this area born in the same year as Isobel, found three - two men and a woman, Trudie, who lived in Grove Vill, Virginia."

I smiled, and breathed out the obvious, "That's not far from here."

"Well, watch this," Jenna smirked, and typed so fast that I couldn't even follow her searches. Then, a sudden picture popped up. It looked like a page out of an old high school yearbook. She zoomed in on one of the pictures, and I smiled at it. A couple of cheerleaders were side by side to each other, in red and white uniforms. One was blonde, the other... brunette.

"Isobel." I said, smiling at who I thought may be my mother. Unlike the girl next to her who was smiling a huge smile, Isobel simply gave a sexy smirk. "She was a cheerleader, like me."

"Yep," Jenna agreed, "Trudie still lives here." She handed me a yellow post-it note with numbers and words on it, "This is her address."

I took the small paper from her, and memorized the address. "Did you find anything about Isobel?" I asked Jenna.

"I couldn't find anything about her," she admitted. I mentally sighed. I wanted to know who my birth parents were. I didn't know why this was important, but I felt like I had to at least meet her, just once. I sat down on the chair diagonally from Jenna, a bit frustrated. Jenna seemed conflicted for a few seconds, before she said, "Listen. There's something else. Mr. Saltzman, Ric, his wife was from around here, and her name was Isobel."

My ears perked up. "Isobel" wasn't a common name. Spelt differently, yes, but not "Isobel". So... Jenna was saying that my birth mother may have been my History teacher's wife? Was I their child? That would... be so weird. But, I didn't think that Alaric was my father. Isobel had me and Elena when she was _sixteen. _They must've met afterwards.

But then, I processed what Jenna had said completely, "You said... 'was'..." I couldn't finish the sentence.

Jenna was hesitant, but she wasn't keeping anything from me, she promised she'd tell me everything, "She died."

I sucked in a quick breath.

* * *

I took out my clothes from the dryer, and placed them in my drawers. Stefan had arrived earlier, and stood behind me, processing the information that I had given him about Isobel and Alaric. From the mirror in front of me, I could see that his face was drawn in deep concentration.

"Alaric's wife might have been you and your sister's mother?" Stefan asked me finally.

"I don't know," I answered honestly, "But, I've never met anyone named 'Isobel'." Turning around to face him, I pulled the yellow post-it note from my back jean pocket, and showed it to him. "I have the address for her friend Trudie. She lives around here."

"You wanna talk to her." Stefan didn't ask it as a question, but stated it.

"I do," I admitted, "But... I'm not sure how I'd react if Alaric's wife really was my mother. I mean... she's dead... and ... I don't know. It would raise so many other questions, including what Alaric knows, what he doesn't know, and how I'm gonna explain things to Elena. I just..."

I didn't know what else to say. "It'll be okay," Stefan gave me a sad smile, and rubbed my arm soothingly. Suddenly, his soft demeanor changed, as he asked, "Ariana, did Jenna tell you anything about Alaric's wife? How she died?"

I shook my head, "Not much. Only that she was killed...and the case was never solved." Stefan nodded, as if he already knew this information. "You knew?"

"That night at the school when he attacked me, he told me some things about her death." Stefan explained. Did this mean that Alaric knew more about his wife? About Isobel? Stefan had told me that my History teacher knew about vampires. I wasn't exactly surprised, considering there's been way more unexpected things happen. But, maybe Alaric could help me find out if the "Isobels" really were the same person. That would complicate things further. "Ariana, I'm here for you. If you decide to go talk to Isobel's friend, I'll go with you. Okay?"

"Stefan, you don't - "

He smiled and cut me off, wrapping his hands around my wrists gently, "I want to help you. I want to know as well. Just let me know when you decide to go see her, and I'll be there for you."

He pulled me into a hug, and embraced me. "Thank you, Stefan." I whispered in his ear. He was so kind to me, it was unbelievable. I've never met anyone like him, ever.

When we finally parted, Stefan said, "I should probably go deal with Damon."

"How is he doing?" I asked, concerned, "Will he be alright." Wait. That's a stupid question. Who the heck knows?

Stefan hesitantly said, "He's dealing in his own way."

Not the greatest answer.

* * *

The house was small, but cozy. I looked upon it from where I parked my car in front of it. This was where Trudie Peterson lived. I already double-checked the address. Hopefully, Stefan wouldn't be mad at me for coming here without him. But... I wanted talk to her alone. And...something told me that if I were to have brought Stefan here, something bad would happen.

Standing in front of the white painted door, I knocked on it twice. The wooden sound had an ominous feel to it, in the silence.

I waited a few seconds, and my courage left me as I started to turn back around. But then, the door opened. The woman who stood before me was only a few inches shorter. She had wavy blonde hair that hung just below her shoulder blades. I recognized her. It was the girl next to Isobel in the yearbook photo; the other cheerleader; Trudie.

"Trudie?" I still questioned politely, "Trudie Peterson."

"Yes," she said, looking me up and down warily.

"My name is Ariana Gilbert." I introduced, "I wanted to talk to you about Isobel Flemming."

"Well, I haven't heard that name in years." She said, confused, "How do you know her?"

I didn't really know how to start, "...Do you know if she had two babies - twins, actually - that she gave up for adoption?"

"My God." Trudie said, astonished. She looked me up and down again, and I saw a look of recognition cross her face. "You must be one of her daughters." Suddenly, she laughed as a beautiful smile spread across her face. "I was just gonna make some tea. Would you like some?"

I smiled too, at her politeness. "Sure. Thank you."

"Uh, the kitchen's this way." She said, pointing behind her as she stepped off to the side, giving me room to enter.

I smiled at her strange invitation, and stepped over the threshold. Trudie closed the door behind me. The house, like the outside, was dated, but cozy. It felt nice and made me feel like I was younger, a baby again.

* * *

Removing my blue leather jacket and placing it on the closet rack, and followed Trudie into, what I assumed was, the breakfast room.

"I'm sorry to bother you," I started as Trudie came back into the room. She had left a minute ago into the kitchen to go make some tea. "I just started thinking too much, and... I thought that if I were to find you, I might be able to calm down a bit. I wanted to learn a bit more about me and my sister's birth mother."

"It's no problem." She said, "Just a surprise. Please, sit."

She sat down on a wooden chair by a round table covered in blue-green cloth. I sat next to her.

"Where's your sister?" She asked.

"Oh, um..." I racked my brain for an idea, "Elena couldn't make it today. She had some other plans with my family."

Truthfully, these days, I had no idea where my twin would go off to. Sometimes, it scared me, but I'd always dismiss the thought before it became a constant worry for my sister.

Trudie nodded thoughtfully, and said, "You know, I haven't thought about Isobel in years."

"When was the last time you saw her?" I asked.

"About seventeen years ago, when she left to go have you and... Elena?" She questioned, and I nodded, so she continued, "Yeah, so, we kept in touch for a while, but, well, you know, people drift apart." She gave me a look, and I understood. "She was in Florida for a while afterwards. She was on her own. It couldn't have been easy."

"Do you know anything about my father?" I asked.

She shook her head after a moment of hesitation, "I could never get her to fess up." She said, "Anyway, she finally pulled it together, got into college on a scholarship."

I smiled, "Cool. Where did she go?"

"Somewhere in North Carolina." Trudie shrugged, "Duke, I think. Smart girl, smart school."

Wow, so my mom went to Duke, in... North Carolina. I think that Stefan had said something about Mr. Saltzman arriving from that state. I gulped, Isobel seemed to connect back to Alaric, meaning... she was dead. It couldn't be true, could it?

I couldn't question anything further when I heard a high pitch whistle. The tea was ready.

"Let me go grab that." Trudie said, getting up an disappearing around the corner of the room.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Stefan paced around one of the patches of grass in the Town Square, waiting for Alaric to show up. Stefan was almost certain that Alaric's wife was Ariana and Elena's mother, but... how to tell them? He didn't know.

Alaric finally arrived, as he said to Stefan, "Thanks for meeting me. Something's come up."

"Jenna told you." Stefan guessed, referring to Ariana's mother and Alaric's wife being the same person; Isobel.

Alaric nodded tensely, "Yeah."

"So it's true," Stefan said, "Your wife Isobel was Ariana and Elena's birth mother."

Alaric changed the subject, "What do they know?"

Stefan sighed, and crossed his arms across his chest, "Elena currently knows nothing, Ariana on the other hand..."

"What does Ariana know?" Alaric asked. "About everything. About you, your brother."

Stefan nodded, "She knows what I am, and she knows that you know about the vampires. She suspects that your wife is her birth mother, but I haven't confirmed it."

"Does she know about Damon and Isobel?" Alaric asked.

"No," Stefan replied, "I couldn't tell her, not until I was sure."

"You said you'd help me." Alaric stated.

"I asked Damon without saying too much." Stefan said and shook his head, "He doesn't remember."

"Ask him again." Alaric ordered.

Stefan uncrossed his arms, and said, "Damon is not stable right now."

"You know," Alaric said pissed, "He murdered my wife, or at the very least made a meal out of her. When has he been stable?"

"I'm telling you not to push this." Stefan suggested.

"Give me a reason not to." Alaric retorted.

"Your survival." Stefan responded. "How's that for a reason? I'll handle it, but for now, I need you to let it go."

"Is that what you'll tell Ariana?" Alaric questioned, "_Let it go_?"

Stefan clenched his jaw and moved closer to Alaric. He was the one pissed now as the stood merely a few inches away from each other. He threatened, "Leave Ariana out of this."

"I need to know what happened to my wife," Alaric said, almost defeatedly. He seemed completely unfazed by Stefan's threatening stance. "I think you would, too."

Stefan breathed out a sigh, and backed away a bit. He wanted to help Ariana find her birth mother. So, Alaric was right, he needed to know what Damon knew about Isobel. "I need something more than just your wife's name." Stefan said, "A picture, something I could show Damon."

Alaric unfolded his wallet that he retrieved from his back pocket, and slipped a piece of paper out. It was a photo of Isobel. He handed it to Stefan, who took it, and nodded. He walked away, somehow knowing that the girl in this picture - Isobel - was Ariana and Elena's mother.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

When Trudie walked back into the room, she was holding tea cups, and what looked to be an old yearbook. Sitting next to me, she flipped through the pages, and stopped somewhere in the middle. She pointed at a photo of her and Isobel. I recognized it from Jenna's computer screen, the cheerleaders in high school.

Trudie talked about the high school teams, "They came to the games for _us. _The football team hadn't won in years. We were the stars." That's how it's like now. Or, well, used to be, before Stefan had joined the team. Us cheerleaders were there to make everything more lively and fun. "Well, Izzie was. But I was a damn good backup."

"I'm sure you were," I giggled, "This is great, thanks for showing it to me."

"You're welcome," She smiled, and looked down to my teacup, "You haven't touched your tea."

"Oh." I said, "Yeah,"

I still thought that Trudie's reaction to things were strange. Picking up the now-warm ceramic cup, and lifted it to my lips, and took a sip. I furrowed my brow at the familiar taste. It wasn't like the usual tea that I drank, there was something more mysterious, but it seemed as if I knew what it was. It smelled like... vervain.

"What is this?" I tried asking Trudie curiously.

"Oh," she said quickly, a bit alarmed, "It's just some herbal mixture."

I narrowed my eyes a bit. She definitely knew something. "Vervain?" I asked. She didn't respond. "You know, don't you?"

"Know what?" She said, trying to play ignorant. I could see right through her. She knew about vampires. I had already made the connections in my head.

"You didn't invite me in, and you're serving vervain tea." I stated. Way to "connect the dots". "You know."

Truide stood up so fast, that it startled me and almost knocked down the chair she was sitting in. "I think that you should leave." She ordered, her voice hard and cold.

I placed the teacup down, and asked concerned, "What is it? Are you okay? Has something been happening?"

"Please leave." She repeated, shouting, "Now!"

I cringed, and got up. There was obviously something she didn't want to tell me. Something about vampires. Were there vampires around here trying to hurt her. If so, I still wasn't welcome in her house, not anymore. Even if I was Isobel's daughter.

I walked down the walkway of the house, and to my car. When I looked down to retrieve my keys buried somewhere in my purse. I suddenly shivered, and saw a glimpse of something from the corner of my eye. I looked to the right, and there was a man, standing there in the middle of the road. His eyes were on me, his facial expression neutral. I sucked in a quick breath as my heart beat faster.

Not waiting around to find out what the guy wanted, I quickly unlocked my car, and drove away. As the rearview mirror showed me getting further and further away from the guy (or was he a vampire?), I was able to relax a bit more. Why were all these towns infested with vampires?

* * *

I entered the boarding house, hoping to be able to talk to Stefan. Oh wait, we had that fundraiser thing to go to. _Then _we needed to talk. First, apologize for going to see Trudie without him, then explain to him about her weird behavior and what it may lead to. Isobel was next on my mental "discuss" list.

Once I walked into Stefan's room, I called out his name.

Someone I wasn't expecting answered. "Better." A cocky voice called from beside Stefan's wooden drawers. "Me." Damon was walking out of the bathroom, without his shirt on. I'll admit, he looked hot. His toned body full of muscles belonged to a male supermodel. I didn't know which Salvatore brother had the better body. I'd say Stefan of course, but I was biased.

I had forgotten that Damon was here too; at the boarding house. His hair was currently in a dark mess, while his eyes looked drunk and wild. I guess that's what happens when your heart gets broken; you become wrecked.

He managed to stagger over to me, and somehow make it look sexy. I took a deep breath, and let out, "Wow...you look..."

He interrupted, "Dashing? Gorgeous?" He asked with a smirk, then leaned closer to me, and whispered, "Irresistible?"

I put my hands on his bare shoulders, wanting to push his intoxicated state away from me. Big mistake. I was hit with a strike of freezing ice that traveled up from my hands, and pervaded throughout my entire body. It was followed by blast of raging fire, making me gasp, and my knees weak. Looking into his eyes, I could see that the touch affected him as much as it did me.

Before anything else could happen, I removed my palms from him, and stepped back. My heart rate turned back to normal, and I took another deep breath, ignoring the flash of hurt and disappointment that crossed his features. Trying to forget what just passed between us, I answered him, "It may be true that you're all of those things. But right now, you look wrecked." No point in sugar coating it, or he'd never get past this... phase.

Damon finally collected himself, and the smirk was back in place, "Thank you, but there's no reason why I should look wrecked," He said, "Do you know that I am one of Mystic Falls' most eligible bachelors?"

"Really?" No surprise there. But, that's because no one knew how he really was, they just took a glance at his face.

"Yep."

I looked at him for a few more seconds, and my heart tightened. I knew that this was all a distraction, a mask in which he hid his pain and shielded his heart from others. I hoped he'd get better. I didn't think I could stand looking at him any longer like this, with or without his shirt on. "How are you doing?" I asked concerned.

"Never better," He replied nonchalantly. He moved off to the side, and picked up a dark button-up shirt. He placed it on, as he tried - and failed - to button it up. "Yep. What can I do for you? I'm a barrel of favors today. It's my newfound purpose - how can I help people?"

I eyed him warily, "I'm just meeting Stefan. We're going to the fundraiser thing."

"What? You mean you didn't come all this way for me?" He asked, fake pouting.

I rolled my eyes, as I watched him struggle to button up his shirt. He was obviously too drunk to do so. Sighing, I asked him, "Need some help with that?"

"Yes, thank you." He replied. I walked back up to him, and grabbed the two ends at the front of his shirt. I started buttoning the shirt, from the bottom up. I tried ignoring the scent of alcohol mixed in with something cool but burning - the only thing I could describe it as was, well; Damon.

"So," I started, trying to make conversation while in this strange situation. "I found out who my birth mother is."

"Ecch." Damon made a sound as if this new information displeased him. "Who cares?"

I momentarily stopped buttoning, and looked up at him, slightly hurt. She was my _mother _after all.

"She left you," he explained, softer this time, his ice-blue eyes boring into mine. "She sucks."

I smiled a little at that. He did care. We stood there for a second, not breaking our gaze from each other as we tried to think of something to say. I was somewhere along the lines of saying "thanks" when his gaze shifted to something behind me.

Damon's gaze hardened, and I looked behind me to see Stefan standing there, his face staring at us blankly.

"Stefan." I said, turning around, and leaving Damon as I walked up to my boyfriend. Stefan instantly smiled as he hugged me.

"Uhh. I need a bigger jacket." Damon complained from behind me. I turned back around to face him as he placed a suit on, then took it off. "You know, an occasional sorority girl might um, you know, help you fill out a little bit." He threw the jacket back onto Stefan's bed (that explains why he was in Stefan's room - he needed to find a suit), and stalked out of the room.

I sighed and looked at Stefan once Damon was out of ear shot. "He's gonna be okay, right?" I asked, uncertainly.

Stefan shrugged, "You never know with Damon."

I sighed again, and hesitantly started, "Um... so.. I went to see Trudie Peterson today."

Stefan's demeanor changed, as his facial expression turned stony. "Ariana-"

"I know." I said, before he could go any further, "I'm sorry. But... I just really wanted to talk to her alone."

Stefan looked a bit taken aback, before he finally softened, and said, "I know. You wanted to be able to learn about your mother by yourself. I get it. But I just want you to know, that if you ever need someone to be there for you, all you have to do is ask, okay?"

He took my face into his palm, and rubbed soothing circles into my cheek. "I thought about calling you," I told him, "But I figured that you had other things to do."

He smiled a bit, "Ariana, I'd drop everything if you were to ever need me." I smiled too, and nodded. God, I loved him so much. He continued and asked, referring to my visit with Trudie, "How was it?"

I dreaded my answer, "Well... I think she knows about vampires."

"She probably does." Stefan said, then elaborated, "This is Alaric's wife." From his back pocket, he pulled out a folded photo and handed it to me. Opening up the crease, my eyes widened at the familiar face. It was definitely Isobel, though she looked older. Around her early twenties, her almost black hair had bangs.

"This is her," I said to Stefan, "This is Isobel." That meant that Alaric was my birth mother's husband, and that Isobel... may be dead. "Did Alaric give this to you?"

"Everything he knows about vampires, he learned from her." Stefan explained. "He believes that she was killed by one."

I gasped a bit in shock. So, not only was my birth mother dead, but she may have been killed by a vampire. My throat tightened, as Stefan said:

"Listen, Ariana, there's a lot about Isobel that Alaric can tell you, but I need you to wait for a little while before talking to him."

I raised my eyebrows in question. What was Stefan not telling me? What was he hiding?

"I'm sorry." Stefan continued, "It's a lot to ask of you, but will you do that for me? Just until I get enough information."

I looked at him for a few seconds. There was definitely something more going on. But Stefan would never hold anything back from me unless he believed it was for my own protection. Not anymore. So I nodded, agreeing to his terms, for now. I wanted to know more about my birth mother. Perhaps, Isobel wan't even dead. Maybe she was somewhere in this world, alive and safe. I could only hope.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

After Ariana left for the fundraiser, Stefan walked downstairs into the main hallway, seeing Damon walk towards him, while putting on a bigger jacket.

"Where'd our girlfriend go?" Damon asked. Stefan didn't need to question his brother on who the "girlfriend" was.

Ignoring the comment, Stefan went along with it, "She's on her way to the Grill." Stefan paused, then took out the picture of Isobel, and handed it to Damon. "I wanted to talk to you. This is the woman, Isobel, from North Carolina. Remember her now?"

When Stefan had asked Damon earlier about Isobel, the older brother claimed to not know who she was. Now, he was hoping that Damon would admit to knowing her once he showed him her picture. Damon had killed Isobel, and though Stefan didn't want Ariana finding that out... he couldn't keep any secrets from her. She'd know eventually.

"Who wants to know?" Damon asked, smugly.

"I do," Stefan answered.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Who _else _wants to know?"

Stefan ignored the question. "Did you kill her?"

"Sorry," Damon reliped, "Don't know her."

He walked passed Stefan, while Stefan narrowed his eyes at him. Damon knew something, but he wasn't going to admit anything.

"Hey, are you coming?" Damon asked with a smirk, turning around, "The Real Housewives of Mystic Falls await."

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Caroline, Matt, and I, talked by one of the wooden bar tables in the Grill. Caroline seemed very proud as she announced, referring to Matt, "He's already been hit on, like, thirty-five times. He's total cougar bait."

I laughed. Of course Matt would be hit on, he was funny, sweet, and handsome. "Impressive," I teased him.

"More like embarrassing." He said, smiling at me.

We all laughed and Caroline stopped giggling as her gaze locked on something beside me. "Hi, Mrs. Donovan." She said, with a little too much enthusiasm.

Oh my God. It was Matt's mom! I haven't seen her in ages, and an automatic smile spread across my face when I realized she was back. I saw her give Caroline a look of distaste, but it may have been my imagination.

She ignored Caroline's greeting as she looked at me and smiled, "Ariana, honey,"

"Hi, Mrs. Donovan," I greeted.

"Oh, please," She said, "That sounds so _old_. I've told you many times to call me Kelly."

I laughed, "Hi, Kelly."

She gave me a hug, and I hugged her back. Though, I felt bad when I saw Caroline give me and Kelly a look of hurt. What did Kelly have against Caroline? She didn't treat _me _that way when I was dating Matt.

"Long time, no see," Kelly said, as we pulled back. "Hey, where's your sister?"

I looked around the Grill, and saw Elena standing by Jenna, eyeing the bachelors. I shook my head at them, even though they couldn't see me, and turned back to Kelly, "Over there." I pointed to my twin.

Kelly muttered something under her breath, but I didn't catch it. Whatever it was, it sounded like she was disgusted by something. I changed the subject.

"How are you doing?" I asked her.

"Oh, same old." She said, the smile was back in place. Kelly was like the coolest mom anyone could ever have. But, sometimes, she was just a bit _too _cool. Especially when it concerned Matt and...and Vicki. Great, when would she find out about that? Hopefully never. Then, the guilt faded away a bit once she fake pouted, "Matty tells me you broke his heart."

My smile instantly faded when she said that. She wasn't looking at me in a particularly accusing way, but... I still felt bad because of the memories the comment brought up.

"Mom," Matt said, scolding Kelly.

"Just kidding," Kelly said, "Calm down. He found his rebound girl." She glanced over at Caroline, and I suddenly felt awkward. There was definitely some foul air around the two of them. Kelly shouldn't have been talking to Caroline that way, it was immature.

After Kelly bought some tickets for the bachelor fund raiser - that if I remember correctly, Damon was in - she said, "I just hope I don't get Bachelor 3. I dated him in high school," then her voice dropped to a whisper, "_Not _impressive. In _any _way."

Matt shook his head in embarrassment as Kelly sauntered off. "Very exciting," was her last comment, before submerging into the crowd of people.

My gaze then fell on Alaric, who was also looking at me. Apparently, he was my birth mother's wife, and I wanted to go up to him and ask him questions. But, he then turned his head away, obviously not wanting to discuss it. I sighed.

* * *

Finally, Mrs. Lockwood; Tyler's mom, started the "Bachelor Fund Raiser", by introducing each of the men on stage. They were all fairly good looking, in their mid-twenties. Alaric was up up there, looking slightly uncomfortable, yet still smiling. The last bachelor was Damon, who stood there, smirking like always.

I wasn't really paying attention, until Mrs. Lockwood got to Damon. This would be interesting...

Stefan gave me a wave from across the room, and I smiled back. Looking back at the stage, I heard Mrs. Lockwood ask Damon, "Do you have any hobbies, like to travel?"

"Oh yeah." Damon smirked, "L.A., New York. Couple of years ago, I was in North Carolina. Near the Duke campus, actually. I think - " He turned towards Alaric, who sat there staring back blankly, "I think Alaric went to school there. Didn't you, Ric?" He smirked at the History teacher. Where was this going...? "Yeah, 'cause I - I know your wife did."

The smile that was on my face before, fell. How did Damon know Isobel? What did - How was - ?

I had a bad feeling about this.

Damon continued, "I had a drink with her once. She was - she was a great girl." That was kinda creepy. Imagine what the audience thought at the time. Damon went back to mocking Alaric. "I ever tell you that? Cause she was - Delicious. Mmm! Mmm mmm mmm."

I gasped suddenly, realizing what he was implying. To anyone else - anyone in the audience - Damon was just being a creepy, annoying, ass. But to me... I knew what he meant. Damon, a vampire, thought Isobel was delicious? It wasn't a coincidence. Damon had killed her.

My breaths became ragged, as something tickled my face; tears.

"Are you okay?" Jenna asked from beside me.

"Why are you crying?" Elena asked me, kinda annoyed.

"Um.." I said, looking away and getting up, "I'll be back in a sec."

Stefan was there, looking at me in regret. But I walked right past him. Stefan knew about it too, and he didn't tell me. From the look on Alaric's face, I'm guessing he knew about Damon and Isobel as well. That's why Stefan didn't want me talking to him, he didn't want me finding out.

I walked out of the Grill and into the cold, night air. Stefan followed me, as I paced around in anger.

Damon killed Isobel..

Damon killed Isobel...

He drank her blood, and killed her...

"I can't believe it," I said, exasperated to Stefan. "Damon killed her."

Stefan looked at me in sadness, "I don't know what happened," he admitted, "Alaric said they never found the body."

Great. So she's either _dead, _or a vampire. I didn't know which one was worse. Not all vampires were good. Actually, from my experience, most of them weren't. I was suddenly mad at Stefan, for not telling me sooner. Instead, I had to find out in front of a bunch of other people, who didn't even know what Damon was really implying.

"I'm sorry," Stefan said to me, holding my arms. I resisted the urge to pull away. It wasn't his fault. "I wanted to tell you. But, I needed to know more."

Damon. I thought he could change, but now... I wasn't so sure. I had no idea how long ago this was. When did he actually kill her? He had stated a couple of years ago. He may be changed, now that Katherine's gone. But... this pain that was in my chest... the feeling betrayal...it still hurt. And how could he be up on stage, rubbing it into Alaric's face? It wasn't right. None of it was.

"I don't know what to think Stefan," I said truthfully to him, "He - he killed her, and - "

I couldn't say anymore, or I'd start crying again. Stefan pulled me into his arms, and whispered into my ear, "I'm so sorry. He doesn't know about the connection to you. I thought about confronting him, but he's already so on edge." I knew that, I've seen Damon. He was hurting, and because of it, he thought that making someone else hurt would help, that it would take the pain away. He'd learn, sooner or later, that it doesn't work that way.

"I know," I choked out to Stefan. "I know that he's having a hard time. I'm just... trying to deal with it. We're hoping he'll change, and... he just might. But for now... I need some time, that's all."

Looking over Stefan's shoulder, I did a double take. I recognized the guy standing in the middle of the sidewalk - just a few meters away.

I pulled back from Stefan, and said, "That man." Stefan turned around, and followed my gaze. The man was looking at me, in an unreadable expression. "I saw him outside of Trudie's house."

"Get back inside," Stefan said to me, his gaze not leaving the mysterious guy. "Come on." He gently guided me back into the Grill, staying close to my side.

* * *

I walked back into the Grill, not paying attention to where I was going, my tears already dried. Suddenly, I bumped into someone. Before I could apologize, that arrogant, familiar voice said, "Whoa. Easy there." Damon smirked at me, "Buy a ticket like everyone else."

Did he think he was funny? 'Cause he wasn't. He already pissed me off enough times today. I didn't look at him, afraid that my tears would return, as I tried to pass by him.

Before I could take more than a step, his hand wrapped around my wrist. He pulled me back, forcing me to look up at him. "What's wrong?" He asked, genuinely.

I shook my head and mumbled, "Nothing," I tried to move past him again, but his grip didn't loosen.

"Ariana," His eyes made me think he actually cared, though, I really wasn't sure whether I could trust my judgement anymore. He killed Isobel, though he didn't know the relation between her and me. It still doesn't excuse the fact that he killed someone, another human being. "Tell me. What's happened."

I looked away from him, as I saw Stefan approach us. "Let her go," He said sternly to Damon.

Damon turned to glare at his brother, before looking back at me. He finally let me go, and I stepped back a bit.

"Am I missing something here?" Damon asked Stefan, annoyed.

"Remember earlier when we were talking about my birth mother?" I finally found my voice, as I asked Damon, he turned back to look at me. He nodded. "Her name was Isobel."

Damon's face faltered, as his lips turned down in a frown. He understood what that meant, that he was the one to kill my birth mother.

I started to walk away, if not, I would start crying. Damon tried reaching out towards me, as he pleaded, "Ariana..."

"Please," I said, barely able to see through the water in my eyes, "I just...need to go."

I left him standing there.

* * *

Once I got back outside, I heard someone following me. Stefan's voice said, "Come on. Let's get you home."

He came to stand beside me as I started to walk towards my car. I stopped abruptly once I saw who stood a few feet in front of me. It was the man, the one that made me shiver in fear. Stefan saw him too, and moved to stand in front of me. He spread his hands out, in a protective stance, trying to act as a sheild.

"I have a message for you," The man's deep voice rang out.

I looked at him confused, as Stefan asked, "Who are you?"

Then man simply chose to ignore him. His gaze stayed on me. "Stop looking. She doesn't want to know you. She doesn't want to talk to you."

Was he talking about... "Isobel?" I questioned.

"You need to stop looking." He told me, sternly, "Do you understand?"

"She's alive?" I asked, hopefully. But then, I was filled with a sudden dread, "Does that mean she's..." I couldn't finish my sentence, as I started to take a step towards the man.

Stefan's arms kept me back, as he gave me a look that said, _'stay back'. _"Ariana, he's under compulsion." He said to me.

"Do you understand?" The unknown man replied again, almost robotically.

"Yes." I nodded. I couldn't ask him questions, because he wouldn't answer me. Not if he was under compulsion. Was Isobel the one who compelled him? "I understand."

"Good." The man said. He looked behind him where there were cars driving down the street. "I'm done now."

Before Stefan and I could do anything, the man stepped back. "No!" I shouted, but it was too late. Stefan and I watched in horror as a huge red truck blared its horns, and bashed right into the man, running him over. Shocked, I grabbed Stefan's arm. Tears wouldn't stop flowing down my face.

The man was dead. Isobel had killed him, because she was undead. A vampire.

* * *

Yells and shouts sounded all around us. Stefan and I had walked closer to the now-dead man. He confirmed that the guy was dead. The driver of the truck went to go call an ambulance. I looked upon the the dead man in sadness and regret. Why had Isobel compelled him, if she really were still alive? Or, as alive as she could be, as a vampire.

"Come on." Stefan said, gently, "Let's get out of here. Come on."

I nodded, but bent down to pick something up that glistened in the light. A phone. Dropping it in my pocket, I let Stefan practically drag me home.

* * *

Stefan didn't want to leave me, but I told him that he should go back to the boarding house. He needed to talk to Damon, and I needed time alone, to think about everything I found out today.

I sat on my bed, tentatively touching the small black phone in my hands. I tried not to think about the fact that it had belonged to the man that was now dead. I ran through the contacts, finding the last phone number that was dialed. I tapped my fingers idly for a few seconds, deciding what to do. Eventually, curiosity won, and I pressed the call button, shakily placing the phone against my ear.

After a few rings, a woman's voice echoed from the other end. "Was there a problem?" The voice was silky, with a cold and uncaring edge to it. It almost seemed as if I recognized it. "Did you find her? What's going on?"

I knew it was stupid, but I answered, questioning, "Isobel?"

She hung up. I shut off the phone, tears running down my cheeks. Isobel was alive, I knew she was. But... that meant she was a vampire. It also meant that he had compelled that guy to kill himself. Why would she do that? Something so cruel? I wanted to blame those actions on her being a vampire. I didn't want to think that my birth mother would do something so horrible. But... look at Stefan. He was good, even though his past was stained, he had made amends.

I hoped that Isobel could too. Once I found her.


	17. There Goes the Neighborhood

**THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD**

"Damon hasn't said a word to me." Stefan said, once we reached our lockers at school. He had explained to me about Isobel, and how Damon thought that Katherine was the one to send her, since she was my ancestor. Damon; the one who turned Isobel. I was thoroughly freaked out after calling Isobel, and now that jittery feeling just wouldn't go away, always keeping me on guard.

But Damon... I sighed. He still thought that Katherine was waiting for him, somewhere. If Katherine had really loved Damon, she wouldn't have waited a century and a half to come back to see him. It was sick and sadistic to fake your own death, go into hiding, and then come out 145 years later to try to reunite with a former flame. It gave me the creeps.

If it was true, and Katherine really did send Isobel... then I wasn't sure whether that's good or bad. I couldn't imagine something like that. Which is why it was more likely that Isobel came on her own. Whatever she had planned, we'd better be ready for her.

Stefan continued, concerned, "Every time I try to talk to him, he shuts me down. I mean, he waited a hundred and forty five years only to find out that Katherine could not care less. It's gotta hurt, right?"

I nodded, and said, "What's worse is that he's still hoping that she'll show up, even after everything she's put him through."

Stefan looked at me, and wondered, "You should still be upset with him, yet... you don't seem to be."

I sighed, "I'm not sure how to feel," I admitted, "He turned Isobel, but... that shouldn't surprise me. He's probably killed hundreds of people, turned many others. And... it's hard to stay mad at someone... if you feel sorry for them."

Stefan nodded, understandingly. He changed the subject, "Have you thought any more about what you're going to do?"

I shrugged, "I've thought a lot about it, but I have no idea what step I should take. All of these relations to me and vampires are confusing."

Stefan raised his arm, and brushed my shoulder, trying to comfort me while his eyes were soft. "I'm sorry," he said, sincerely.

I didn't really know what to say to that. I could've said: "No, it's fine, I'm fine, don't feel sorry," But... I would've been lying. Instead I took a deep breath, and gave my most convincing smile. I said, "Why don't we just get through today without having to deal with any of it. No vampires."

"No vampires at all?" He questioned with a smirk.

I giggled, "No vampires but you. Let's just focus on school and homework and having fun."

"Ohh," Stefan teased, "You said the 'f-u-n' word. Is that allowed?"

I playfully smacked him, "It better be in my vocabulary, or else the entire world is doomed. So what do you say?"

"To having fun?" He smiled, "Sounds good to me, when do we start?"

We both laughed.

Being with Stefan really was easy. We were in a deep relationship. He made me feel like there was more to the world then just getting through high school smiling. It was as if we have barely scratched the surface, yet I was already drowning. And I loved the feeling. Too bad there was always something supernatural ruining our time together...

* * *

Caroline came up to us a minute later, smiling and acting all giddy. What did she have planned this time...?

She wanted her, Stefan, Matt, and I, to meet her at the Grill and "hang out".

"I'm thinking nothing huge, just a dinner at the Grill, maybe a late movie." She suggested, her eyes lit up.

"You mean like a double date?" Stefan asked from right behind me, his fingers rested on my hip.

"Two pair out on a Friday night coupled." Caroline barely had to think about it, answering, "Yeah, a double date."

"Is there a special occasion to this get together?" I asked her. I didn't want to think about how awkward it would be between the four of us. Caroline and I were best friends; Stefan and I were a couple; Caroline and Matt were a couple; Matt and I were exes; and Stefan and Matt were... well, I'm not sure what they were exactly. All I knew was that they weren't the best of friends.

"No occasion necessary," Caroline replied, "And why not? We all haven't gone out together before and I don't want it to be uncomfortable for us. Look the couple dynamics have changed and there's been a little awkwardness between you, Matt, and.. . me and I just think it's important that we get over it." Her voice wavered a few times, and I felt sort of uncomfortable under her gaze. She was worried about something, but of course too embarrassed to talk about it. It was probably about her, Matt, and I. I guess she was still jealous that her current boyfriend used to be my boyfriend. She shouldn't be worrying, because Matt and I were completely over, and I knew that he cared for her.

"I think that sounds like a great idea." Stefan commented from behind me. I turned my head to the side slightly, to see his smile. I gave him a questioning look. "It's a nice evening out with friends. Sounds _fun_, as in the 'f-u-n' word."

I laughed and tilted my head back to Caroline. Alright then. _Fun. _And if it will make Caroline happy, then so be it. We all knew how she'd react if she didn't get her way. "Alright then. A double date it is." I told her.

"Okay, great." If possible, Caroline's smile broadened, showing all of her teeth. "So, we will see you tonight."

"We'll be there." I said.

Caroline kinda awkwardly walked away, and I turned to face Stefan. His face was calm but smiling. Stefan plus a double date? Wow. Didn't see that coming. I guess it doesn't matter, as long as I got to have _fun _with Stefan and my friends. He took my hand, and led me to class.

* * *

Once I got back home, I started getting ready for our "double date". Since it was more of a casual outing, I decided not to pick out such fancy dress. But, before I could dwell about it for any longer, I heard someone knock on the front door.

Opening it, I gasped. Stefan stood there, in a nice black jacket, looking as handsome as ever. But, what my eyes were really glued to, was the bouquet of flowers he held. They ranged from pink, to yellow, to white, with light and dark green leaves. "They're beautiful," I said, awestruck.

"They're for you, of course," Stefan smiled, handing me the bouquet.

I took the flowers gingerly, smiling like an idiot. He got me flowers! "Thank you, so much."

"Your welcome," he said, and I made room for him so that he could come into the house. I walked into the kitchen, and opened the cupboards, pulling out one vase out of the collection we had. "I figured it's a date, why not do it right?" He smiled, "If I knew you'd act so happy upon getting flowers, I'd get you them more often."

I smirked, and turned the sink faucet on, watching as the vase filled up halfway with water. After placing the stems of the flowers in the water and putting the vase on the dining room table, I said to Stefan, "Getting flowers for someone is a nice gesture for a special occasion. If you were to get them too frequently, then it would lose its meaning."

He smiled and stepped closer, wrapping his arms around my waist as I did the same around his neck. "You sound so wise, yet you're only seventeen." He commented.

"So do you," I smirked, "Then again, you are one hundred and sixty-two years old." He laughed. I asked him, "What made you so eager for this double date?"

"What do you mean?" He questioned, still smiling, "I love you, and when I decided to stay here and to get to know you, it's so that I could so things like this." He gestured to the vase of flowers on the dining table, "Bring my girlfriend flowers, take her out on a date, and try to have fun. We have to remember not to be so serious all the time, and live a little."

I smiled at him. He just washed all the extra uncertainty that I had with this date. He was right. We needed to live and have fun. To be as normal as we could, even if there were vampires and witches. "Have you ever been on a double date before?" I asked Stefan.

"Oh, absolutely," He said, immediately, "'72, Hef and the twins."

"What?" I started laughing.

"Yeah... playmates. I got Miss June." He said.

Oh, my God. Stefan had a date with one of the girls at the playboy mansion. I didn't know much about them, but I knew enough. I started giggling.

"Well, I'm gonna go get ready, I won't take long," I told Stefan.

His eyes furrowed, and then he smiled, "Oh, I thought you were already ready. You look amazing, as always."

I looked down to my black boots, dark blue jeans, and purple top. "Thank you," I said to Stefan. My outfit wasn't exactly "fancy", but I guess it was acceptable.

We left my house, my arm through Stefan's as we walked to my car parked on the curb.

* * *

Stefan and I met Caroline and Matt at the Grill. After exchanging "hellos", hugs or handshakes, we sat down at a booth, talking about school and other activities. Stefan and I on one side, Caroline and Matt on the other.

"How do you like working here, Matt?" I asked him. When Kelly had left Matt and Vicki, the teenagers were on their own. Matt got a job as a bartender. Even though he was under the drinking age, they still allowed him to clean and take orders. But now, Kelly was back, and I knew that it was hard for Matt to decide how he'd deal with his mother.

"It's not that bad." Matt answered, smiling. "Wait staff is pretty good and they can't keep a bartender to save their lives. I actually put my mom up for a job."

"That's good," I said, surprised. "How's it been? With your mom back?"

"You know, same old Kelly," Matt shrugged, "She's trying, sort of."

"Kelly and my mom were best friends growing up." I turned to Stefan next to me, telling him the story. "That's how Matt and I first met, we shared a crib together."

"Literally," Matt added.

"You're kidding?" Stefan questioned with a smile, impressed.

"No, we have known each other our whole lives." Matt said, as he smiled at me, and I reflected that smile. Matt and I probably would've gotten married, if it weren't for Stefan arriving, and changing the way I looked at the world. Now Stefan and I were together, Matt and Caroline were together, and Matt and I were good friends. Speaking of Caroline... I heard her give off a sigh. I was about to question her on what was wrong, when the four of us heard loud bursts of laughter coming from the bar.

We turned our heads, and our jaws dropped as we caught sight of the three people drinking shots while sitting on the bar stools. It was Jenna, Kelly, and Damon; drunk. Wow... it's definitely a strange picture. Matt's mom, my Aunt, and Stefan's brother, hanging together, laughing their heads off.

Damon saw us looking at them, and raised his glass to Stefan and I, before downing the shot of tequila.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Matt said with a sigh, his gaze fixated on his mother, who was currently having a conversation with Jenna, clearly the most intoxicated out of the three. Kelly knew how to have fun, but sometimes she wasn't the best role model for her children. Good thing Matt was kind, independent, and a good person. He could take care of himself. Vicki... on the other hand...

* * *

After eating, the four of us moved over to a pool table. Stefan and I made a team, while we were up against Caroline and Matt. We were winning by one, but about half-way into the game, Jenna, Kelly, and Damon were still laughing uncontrollably, probably twice as drunk as they were before.

"At least they're having fun." Caroline said, narrowing her eyes at the threesome.

"They're drunk." I stated with a smile. It was actually nice to see other people have fun, even if it was annoying me to death. But, Caroline didn't seem to be having fun, which was strange, since this was _her _kinda thing.

"Remember when Ariana's parents busted us here after the homecoming?" Matt asked Caroline with a smile. I turned back to them, as Caroline responded:

"Oh my God, yes!"

I was confused for a second, before I finally remembered. Things before the accident were a little confusing for me to remember. But I do recall the homecoming, it was the time when Matt got me to drink alcohol. Wow, I actually got drunk before. The memory was so fuzzy, almost as if it had happened in another life. No wonder I didn't remember getting drunk, but the more I thought about it, the more I could remember that night. Kinda like cleaning dirt off of a window; the harder you try, the more you see.

I started to smile, "Gosh, I almost forgot! It was the first time I ever got drunk; we were totally wasted." I looked at Matt.

He explained, "Her parents got seated at the next booth."

"And Matt had me pretend that I was choking so we could get away." I remembered more clearly now. Flashing lights, beautiful dresses, tons of laughter.

Matt smirked, "_Except _that her dad was a doctor so he jumped up to save her."

I laughed, "Then, I tried running, slipped on the wet floor and bit it in front of everyone."

"God," Matt said, "I was so worried about you. I was a wreck for days."

"I remember," I said, "You kept apologizing to me, even weeks after it happened. I kept trying to tell you that I was _o-kay._" I laughed, "And _then, _I had to get three stitches, a hangover for days while Elena kept yelling at me, and I was grounded from seeing this one for a week." I gave Matt and pointed look as we both laughed.

"I'm gonna go to the restroom." Caroline suddenly announced. She was the only one out of us who wasn't having fun and smiling. Was she okay? Did she feel sick? As she passed by me, I felt her tap my shoulder, "Ariana?"

She kept walking to the Bathroom's, and so after giving Matt and Stefan a quiet, "Excuse me," I walked over to where I thought Caroline had disappeared to.

* * *

I opened the door to the women's bathroom, and temporarily forgot what I was doing there. Then, I spotted Caroline, sitting in the corner of the room, looking hurt and upset.

"So um, what are you doing?" She asked me, annoyed.

"What do you mean?" I questioned, confused, "Are you okay?"

"As if you care," She spat at me. "The whole point of this was to show him how much you care about _Stefan." _She stood up, towering over me by a few inches. It didn't take a genius to figure out that when she said _him, _she was referring to Matt. "You now, not _hopscotch _down memory lane."

"Caroline, I'm sorry," I told her, "But, we're all friends. Relationships don't all have to be between couples. We were making conversation."

"Well you know what?" She stepped towards me, "Try _less_."

She left the bathroom then, and I immediately felt bad. Sighing, I followed her back out into the orange and yellow lights of the Grill. "Caroline." I called.

Before I could catch up with her, an arm shot out and caught my arm, keeping me from walking back over to my friends. My heart sped up as I looked up into the eyes of a stranger. I've never met him before. Nor did I ever meet the girl who stood behind him. The two gave me the creeps. He still didn't let go of my arm, and fear clouded my senses when the guy said, "Katherine?"

"I'm sorry," I said quickly, "I think you have the wrong person."

"Ariana, come on!" Caroline ushered from in front of me, eyeing the people next to me with concern.

"My mistake," The guy said, as he finally let me go. They were either vampires or compelled humans, how else would they recognize Katherine?

I hurried back over to Stefan, putting on a fake smile as if nothing had happened. "How's everything going?" I tried asking, casually.

"Matt's cheating." Stefan stated, as he put an arm around me.

"No need," Matt gave me a haughty smirk, "I'm awesome."

I would've laughed, but I couldn't stop worrying over what just happened. Taking out my phone, I got ready to show Stefan a text message of what was really concerning me. I didn't want to risk exposure.

"Everything okay?" He asked me, catching on. He could read through my fake smile and lies easily.

"Everything's great." I tried saying without wavering. I typed into my phone: _That man over there just called me Katherine. _I showed him the screen of my phone

Stefan's alarmed eyes met mine, before he whipped his head behind me. His arm tightened around me, and I turned to look over my shoulder as well. They were gone. The two people - including the creepy guy - who stood there a second ago, had completely disappeared. I took a shaky breath.

* * *

I drove Stefan to the boarding house, and parked my car on the gravel. The four of us had agreed to meet back at the Salvatore boarding house, though Stefan was still wary because of what I told him.

"So you didn't recognize him, you haven't seen him before?" Stefan asked me, once I turned off the car.

I shook my head, "No, I had no idea who he was."

"Right, let's call it a night, okay?" Stefan said, "Send Matt and Caroline home?"

My eyes widened, "Stefan, the whole point of tonight was to have _fun, _and not have to deal with all of this. How 'bout we just get through tonight, and worry about it tomorrow?"

"You're sure?" He asked me, "If something were to happen to you-"

"I'll be fine," I said, cutting him off by placing my hands on either side of his face. "Let's have fun with our friends, and deal with all this vampire stuff later."

He looked at me for a few seconds, before succumbing, "Okay,"

I smiled. Lights flashed at the corner of my vision, and I saw Matt's car pull up into the driveway. My hands slid from Stefan's face, but he held them there with his own hands.

"It's them," Stefan said, smiling, "Come back here."

I let myself giggle as he kissed me. It was sweet yet filled with electricity. We'll get through today, we have to. Just one day, of just us... and Matt and Caroline, of course.

* * *

We entered the familiar boarding house living room, and I smiled when I saw Matt and Caroline's expressions turn awestruck.

"This is much better than watching Damon visit cougar town." Caroline commented, as she took in the Victorian styled room. The whole house was beautiful, and even now I appreciated the architectural details and charm. Caroline turned to Matt, "No offense."

"Don't remind me." Matt said, then he turned to Stefan, "Man, I've always wanted to see what it looks like in this place." He was still looking around the room.

"Yeah, I guess it's a bit much." Stefan said. I loved the boarding house. I spent as much time in here as possible. I'd live here forever if I could, but Jenna probably wouldn't approve.

"Yeah, my entire house could fit in here," Matt said, gesturing to the living room, "Like twice."

I giggled at that. Caroline said, "I feel like I've been here before. It's weird."

Stefan and I shared a look. Caroline had been here, when Damon was compelling her. Or maybe it was hypnotizing, I couldn't be sure, it gets confusing. But now, Damon was somewhat better, less Katherine-crazed then he used to be, and Caroline had no memory of those horrible times. She was her usual happy-golucky-self, well... until this double date, that is. Now she was kinda mad at me.

"Whoa; these are great!" Matt suddenly said, startling me. He quickly walked over to a glass cabinet, where miniature cars were lined up.

"This is uh... a little hobby of mine." Stefan explained to Matt, as he stood behind him while Matt continued to eye the small cars with interest and curiosity. I smiled at them. Stefan had lots of time on his hands since he never aged, so collecting cars was one of the ways he could pass the time.

Also, I knew from experience that Matt _loved _cars. When we were kids, he'd always have toy cars around him whenever we were together. When we were a bit older, he would admire other cars, and talk about his favorite brands and originals. Surprisingly, I liked listening to him ramble off about his interests, because it made him happy, and I loved seeing him smile.

"I did the entire Mustang series when I was nine." Matt told Stefan.

"You like cars?" Stefan asked Matt. He had _no _idea.

"That's an understatement." Matt told him, then he turned around to look at me, and said, "Just ask Ariana. She only had to listen to me talk about them for _hours _at a time."

I giggled and walked up to them. "I didn't mind."

"Liar."

"No, seriously," I insisted, "It was interesting." Matt shook his head at me; unconvinced, but still smiling.

"Come with me." Stefan told us, as he led us back outside.

* * *

We took a different direction from where we first entered. Stefan led us around the boarding house and and stopped in front of a garage. After opening the door, my eyes settled on what looked to be the shape of a car, covered in a yellowy-white blanket.

"Prepare yourselves," Stefan said, as he removed the tarp.

The first thing that hit me was the shiny bright blood-red color. Then the entire car revealed myself, and I couldn't stop smiling at how amazing this car looked. Matt was going to love Stefan after this, well, love his car, at least.

"Wait," Matt asked, at a loss for words, "How do you have this?"

"Got passed down through the family." Stefan answered. I smirked at him, knowing the truth. Stefan must've been the one to buy this car back in the days, but since Caroline and Matt were here, he couldn't exactly explain all of that to them.

Stefan opened the car door, the shiny paint and dirt-free windows reflecting and scattering the light from the ceiling. Matt asked him, "Why don't you... I mean... Why don't you drive it?"

That's what I was wondering. But, I guess when you're a vampire, you don't need a car to get around. It would still be cool though, to drive a classic car like this.

"Well, it doesn't run." Stefan said, "I mean, it's not that I could figure out."

"Why would you keep a car that doesn't run?" Caroline questioned from behind me. I turned to look at her.

"Be more of a girl right now?" Matt smirked at her. She narrowed her eyes, and laughed.

"Hey, want to come take a look at this for me?" Stefan called to Matt from the front of the car, deeper into the garage. Good, hopefully the two of them can "bond" or whatever over fixing cars.

"Ariana, remember the old Camaro you're dad used to have?" Matt asked me, smiling from beside Stefan.

Like before with the homecoming memory, I had to rack my mind for a bit before I could remember. I nodded slowly, "Yeah,"

The car just kept breaking down, and after a while, my father finally just sold the thing. "I built and rebuilt that engine twenty times." Matt told Stefan.

"Wow," Stefan commented.

"I don't like sports cars; they're too hard to make out in." Caroline said, as if she actually knew what she was talking about. I smiled at her.

Matt looked at me, and said, "It wasn't that bad." He gave me a lopsided grin, and gazed at me as if he was daydreaming about something. That's when I remembered those nights, where Matt and I would just stay in the Camaro, kissing as if we were the only people in the world. And back then, that's what we were. We were the king and queen of school, the ones who everybody wanted to be friends with. Technically, we still were, but we were no longer together; all because of the accident.

Times were simpler back then. I had my parents, the ideal boyfriend, and no vampires. But, in a way, my parents' accident could be seen as a good thing. I met Stefan, and learned to finally be myself, and not someone who everybody wanted me to be. I learnt to make my own decisions, even if at times, they weren't always right.

But now, with Matt, Stefan, and Caroline's eyes on me, I felt a bit uncomfortable, not sure how to answer Matt's comment. I heard scuffling behind me, and whipped my head around to see Caroline's retreating figure. Sighing, I turned my back to Matt and Stefan, and followed Caroline onto the gravel.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

"I'm sorry man." Matt said sincerely to Stefan, after Ariana had left.

"No, no, no," Stefan said, raising his head to meet Matt, "Don't worry about it. You and Ariana, you guys have history and ignoring it doesn't do anybody any good."

After a few moments, Matt said, "She's good with you. You know, I wasn't sure, but she's happy and I'm glad. That's all I ever really wanted for her."

They looked at each other for a few moments.

Matt broke the silence, by saying, "Alright, let's take a look at this." He bent his head down to check out the engine of Stefan's car.

Matt would always be in love with Ariana, there was no denying that. But she was happy with Stefan, and Matt knew that he himself had no right to take that happiness away from her. Because, she deserved to have everything and anything she wanted, even if that something didn't involve Matt.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

Caroline had her back turned towards me as she stood quite a few meters away from the garage. She was mad at me, and my past relationship to Matt; her boyfriend. At least, they were supposed to be together. Matt wasn't acting much like one, and it offended Caroline. I've known them for my entire life, so I knew when Caroline was hurting, like right now.

"Caroline..." I tried.

"I don't want to talk about it." Caroline claimed, but then she turned to face me, her eyes glinting with anger, "I know what you're thinking; that I'm being ridiculous, and insecure, and stupid." I tried to deny that, but she continued, "But that doesn't change the fact that Matt's always gonna be in love with you and I'm always gonna be the back up."

"Caroline, you're not the backup," I insisted, "Matt likes you and-"

She cut me off, "Yeah, right," she said, sarcastically, "He _loves_ you. And I'm just the backup. I'm Matt's _Ariana_ back up; I'm your _Bonnie _back up-"

"No, you're not-"

"Can you just shut up for a second!" Caroline screamed at me, tears about to spill from her eyes. I breathed in deeply for a second, confused and hurt. How could Caroline think that? I loved her; she's my best friend, no one could _ever _replace her. "You don't get it," she continued, "Why would you. You know, at first, I thought that Elena was just being a bitch. But now I see her point of view. She was always overshadowed by her _perfect _sister, you who is always everyone's first goddamn choice." She shook her head, "It's not fair. Now I'm the one being overshadowed... I always was."

I was at a loss for words. How does one retort to a claim like that. I wanted to say that she was outta her mind, that she was only acting out of anger, hurt, and jealousy. But something told me that that wouldn't go well with her.

Good thing something was able to distract us for a second, as Stefan's red Porsche pulled up next to us on the gravel. Stefan and Matt got out of the car, Matt not noticing the tense air as he said, "Piece of cake."

That's when I realized that Matt had actually fixed up the car, and I forced myself to smile, "Great job with fixing the car," I complimented them.

"Thanks," Matt said.

Stefan came to stand by my side, as he said to Matt and Caroline, "You know what? Why don't you guys go ahead and take it for a spin?"

"Really?" Matt asked, as if he had just won some huge lottery.

"Yeah." Stefan smiled.

Caroline was still sulking as she got into the passenger seat. Stefan threw Matt the car keys, and he smiled broadly as he started the car, then drove down the road. The light illuminated the dark and ominous woods.

Once they were out of sight, Stefan gave me a big hug, asking, "You alright?"

Of course, he had heard the entire conversation between me and Caroline. Well, actually, more like a monologue, on her part.

"I'll be okay," I answered.

"She'll get over it," Stefan said to me, "She's just hurt by her best friend right now, even though you didn't do anything wrong."

"I'm starting to wonder what's more frightening; Vampire or girlfriends?" I sarcastically wondered to Stefan. He chuckled and kissed my forehead, still not letting me go. I could always rely on Stefan to keep me up and on my feet.

* * *

My jaw dropped as Stefan and I entered the hallway of the boarding house. The scene before me was... so weird. Matt and Caroline were already there, disgusted by what they were seeing. Damon and Kelly were just caught... kissing in the hallway. I wasn't sure whether that was really creepy, irresponsible, or both.

The two grownups were both drunk, and Kelly looked embarrassed that her son had just caught her in the "act" as she lowered her head in shame, and walked out of the boarding house. I couldn't imagine how this would feel like to Matt. "I go to..." He started.

"I'll take her home." I said, referring to Caroline. My best friend didn't seem to be as mad at me as she was before. She even gave me a small smile when I said this.

Matt nodded at me, then turned to Stefan, "Thanks, man." He gave the keys to the Porsche to Stefan, and followed his mother out, the whole way shaking his head and frowning. I sighed. I loved Kelly, but she really needed to become a better parent, not just for Matt's sake, but for her own as well.

Caroline, Stefan, and I both turned to look at Damon. He stood there, smirking as he picked up a glass full of bourbon, and downed it. I took a deep breath, in and out. I shouldn't have been surprised. With everything going on between Katherine, Isobel, and other vampires, I guess it would just continue to send him over the edge.

* * *

"I wish you'd let me drive you home." Stefan said to me. We stood right outside of the boarding house, in the cool air.

"It's fine, Stefan." I told him, "And anyways, I need to drive Caroline home."

"I know, I just get so worried about you," He said, cupping my face with his warm palms.

I smiled, "Thank you, but I have enough people worrying about me. I just want to be here with you, and not live as if someone might come after me at any time. We need to be happy."

Stefan smiled, "We are happy." He glanced down for a second, and then looked back into my eyes, "Alright, call me when you get home safe." He closed the space between us, and kissed me. Once we broke apart, he opened the car door for me, and I got in.

"Bye Stefan." Caroline said to Stefan. I simply smiled and waved.

"Goodbye," He said to us.

I don't know why I had this feeling, but, it seemed as if another pair of eyes were on us - besides Stefan's - as we drove away from the boarding house.

* * *

I called Stefan once I was ready for bed, as he instructed me to. He picked up, and I said, "I'm home, and ready for bed, completely safe."

"Good, good." He said, his voice strained, "I'm glad."

My eyebrows furrowed, "Are you okay? Is everything alright?" I asked him, his voice sounded off.

"No, no, no, no." Stefan said, "Not tonight, you still have a few minutes of 'fun' left. I'll tell you about it tomorrow, okay?"

If it was serious, I wanted to know about it. But, it seemed to make Stefan content, knowing that I was happy. So, I'd wait 'till tomorrow, for him to tell me about whatever it was that had happened.

"Okay. I just hope you're alright." I said to him.

"I'm fine." He said.

"Damon?"

"Somewhat okay," He answered.

I took a deep breath, and smiled, "I had a really nice time on our date tonight. It was fun, as you said it would be."

"Well, I'm glad." He said, "I had a really nice time too."

"See you tomorrow?" I asked him, already anticipating the answer.

"See you then." He said, "Bye,"

"Bye." I hung up. If only everyday could be like today. I was happy, and I had fun, almost forgetting all the crap that was actually in my life. Too bad it never lasts.

* * *

**Hey guys! I hope you had a great Christmas, and hopefully you'll all have a wonderful New Year. Please review my story! This chapter wasn't as action packed obviously, but it was still a fun episode to write. Thanks for reading!**

**-Spiralcloud**


	18. Sisters

**SISTERS**

**Elena POV:**

Some days I feel like dying inside. There's really no other way to explain it. I guess you could say my life has always been sucky, even before the accident. When mom and dad died, I felt numb, as if my body had just been frozen at absolute zero.

I admit, at first I blamed my sister; Ariana. It wasn't hard to blame her, I mean, at the time, I kinda resented her. I still do. Everyone looks her way, even when we're both in the same room. People are drawn to her like moths to light. She's the center of the universe, while I'm just... just an obstacle, a speck of dirt in an otherwise perfect little world.

Of course, no one would understand my view. They all _loved _Ariana, worshipped her, you may say. Boys flock to her, while girls wish to be her. It could be funny, if not for the fact that I am her twin sister - who looks almost identical to her - but no one pays me any attention. She's the _perfect _girl, the one whom everyone _adores, _and I'm just the bitchy sister, who's lost all her friends.

I used to be in the "bitch-pack", as I like to secretly call it. I had friends: Caroline, Bonnie... Ariana. But, then I realized that the only reason people hung around me, was to get close to Ariana. The pain of the truth always hit me like a brick wall, stunning me into oblivion. One day I... I ... just snapped! I didn't care about cheerleading, still don't, but the way Caroline compared me to Ariana like that... like I was nothing? That wasn't cool. I overreacted, but I don't regret it, because she deserved it. I kinda feel sorry for her, since the only reason Matt's with her is as a distraction from Ariana. Sucks to be her.

Then there's the _perfect _boyfriend for the _perfect _girl: Stefan. Now, Stefan is hot, obviously. When I first saw him, all that went through my mind was that I wanted him. I didn't want Ariana to have him, since I'm not surprised if there are millions of guys wishing to have her on his arm. But _nooo, _Stefan went _straight _to Ariana, and fell head over heels in love. Now they were lovebirds in their own fairytale. I wish I can say that I'm happy for her, but... how can I be, when all I feel is this deep, _burning, _hatred?

If one boyfriend isn't enough, Ariana seems to have yet _another _gorgeous guy wrapped around her little finger. Guess who it is? Yep, Stefan's brother: Damon. Damn, now I didn't think it was possible for someone to be hotter than Stefan, I was wrong. Ha, and of course, like every other guy who's ever laid eyes on my "precious" sister, he instantly fell in love. Pathetic. What's even more annoying, is how Ariana doesn't even notice it, she's completely oblivious. That's the thing about me. I no longer spend time socializing with others, but since I don't draw attention to myself, I see, and hear, _everything._

Well, almost everything. I know there's something they're hiding from me, something big. But, I'm not sure of what it is. I feel like there's a hole inside of me, inside of my mind, something missing. As if it's been ripped away from me. I'm always struggling to get ahold of it, but it slips from my grasp every time. I can't remember. But I want to. Jeremy's changed too, he's different now, more alert, kind, but lost; distracted. Do I seem that way? Well, definitely not kind, but lost? Distracted? A demon/zombie? I don't know. Nor do I want to. But something definitely weird is going on, and I'm determined to find out what.

Ariana may be a perfect, lovable, goody-twoshoes, but... at the end of the day... she's still my sister. I can't make up my mind on whether I love her, or hate her. I want to humiliate her, but at the same time, I want to protect her. Would I give my life to save her? Yes, in a heartbeat. Though I don't want to admit it, she's better than me. She's better than everyone and anyone. Let's just hope, I don't have to make the decision between her life, and mine.

* * *

**So, this was a little something helios101 wanted me to post. It's something that Elena would be thinking at around this time, aka, her thoughts on Ariana, and the people who surround her. I wrote it in the present tense because I thought that it would be better, since past tense can get a bit repetitive. **

**This obviously isn't an episode, but Elena's thoughts for season 1. It was definitely fun to write, and I hope you guys liked it! I will continue to update the next episode in a few days. Thanks for reading! Please review!**

**-Spiralcloud**


	19. Let The Right One In

**LET THE RIGHT ONE IN**

**Ariana POV:**

Thunder crackled from outside, reverberating through the the house. I gasped, sitting straight up in my bed. My breathing was heavy, and I put a hand to my chest, trying to slow my racing heart. The loud rain pounded onto the roof, and outside my open window into the hard concrete pavement. I quickly stood up, and tried to close my window. Wind blew my hair around my face, and I shivered as I locked the glass in place. The curtains fell limp.

* * *

I slowly opened the door to Jeremy's room, and was surprised when I saw he was still awake, the lights on. "Sorry," I said, "I didn't know you were still awake,"

Jeremy sat on the edge of the bed, facing me, "Oh no, it's cool," he said, "What's up,"

"There's a storm outside, can you help make sure all the windows are closed?" I asked, glancing at his window that stood open. The flimsy curtains moving like tendrils against the strong winds.

He looked back, and smiled once he caught sight of a sudden flash of lightning. He turned back to me, and said, "Yeah. Yeah. Sure."

I smiled, and closed his door. He seemed a little off, but I didn't let it worry me. We all had secrets. Speaking of which, I was going to have to tell Jeremy and Elena about vampires and Isobel soon, or else I may go crazy with the weight of the stress.

* * *

Elena's room was on the other side of the upper lever floor, next to Jenna's room. I quietly opened her door, and saw that she sat on her bed, searching up something with her laptop.

"Ever heard of knocking?" She asked me, annoyed.

"Sorry," I muttered, and looked over to the window in her room. It was sealed shut. "I didn't want to wake you in case you were sleeping. I was making sure you closed your window, since their's a storm outside."

"No duh," she said, "Anyone with eyes could see that." She barely looked up from her computer screen.

Okay then. "Well, goodnight."

She gave me an unenthusiastic wave, and I closed the door, heading back to my room. It'd be a miracle if I could fall asleep again with this storm.

* * *

The next day, Stefan, as promised, called me up to come over to the boarding house. I quickly slipped into some see-through black tights, a light pink sweater dress with white lining, and black boots. I combed through my dark, wavy hair, and place a silver butterfly hair clip though it. After putting on a long silver owl necklace along with the vervain necklace, dangling earrings, and a diamond ring, I snatched my black purse from the closet, and drove carefully to Stefan's place through the storm.

I could barely believe the news he told me. Damn it.

Remember the vampires who were stuck in the tomb? The ones with red eyes and looked halfway between a mummy and a skeleton? Yeah, apparently, they were now all out of the tomb, living somewhere in Mystic Falls, or close by. Goody. How many more vampires did this town need? At least there hadn't been any deaths on the news recently, not that I'd been paying much attention.

Also, Damon made a deal with Pearl, Anna's mother, allowing her to stay in Mystic Falls, along with the other twenty-something vampires! Who knew what could happen if they were to stay here. More deaths? "Animal Attacks"?

I watched as Damon boarded up a broken window with wood in the boarding house living room. Last night, after Caroline, Matt, and I left, two of the tomb vampires broke into the house, and attacked Damon and Stefan. Stefan managed to stake one, but the other ran away. I was tense, as I listened to Stefan tell me the whole story. What if the vampire came back for revenge? It was sad knowing that a vampire had died, but I was grateful that Stefan and Damon were able to defend themselves.

Damon hammered in nails on the wood, making it stick to the walls, covering up the broken window. Was there really a point to doing that? Couldn't he just get it fixed? He said, "I say we go to Pearl's, bust down the door, and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night."

"Yeah." Stefan retorted from beside me, partially annoyed, "And _then _what? We turn to the rest of the house of vampires and say, 'Oops. Sorry?'"

I would've smiled, if not for this serious situation. "Are you sure it's smart to allow the vampires to stay in this town? Along with giving her the information of everyone who's on vervain?" I asked Damon. I almost forgot, not only was Damon accepting their presence, but he was also giving her the list of everybody with vervain; one of the only protections against vampires.

He turned around, "She promised not to cause trouble. We're just exchanging information. And it's not like I had a choice." He shuddered, "She's... scary. Besides, she's gonna help me get Katherine back."

Oh, _awesome_. Not only did I find someone who seemed to be scarier than Damon, but it turned out that he was just waiting for Katherine. He must've been really loyal to her. "_Great," _I said with heavy sarcasm as I fake smiled at him.

He smirked at me and said, "What's gotten you all sarcastic?"

"Oh, I don't know?" I asked, rolling my eyes, "Just that there are tomb vampires running around Mystic Falls, near people I've known and loved my entire life." I shrugged, "Not exactly in the best mood right now."

He looked at me for a moment before asking, "Are you still blaming me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?"

I sighed, "I'm not blaming you. I just wish you would think about the consequences of your actions before you _initiate _your plans."

Damon gave me a look, "I'm not the good-guy, Ariana. Some people go as far as to say that I'm a '_self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities'." _He said, as if reciting it from a line in some sort of book or movie.

I sighed again, and said sincerely, "That's not true, and you know it."

Suddenly, it was completely silent. My eyes were on Damon who was in front of me, but I could clearly see that Stefan was becoming a bit too uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation. Damon just continued to stare at me, in a way someone would stare at a puzzle they were trying to figure out.

After a while, Stefan gave a forced cough, and I broke my gaze from Damon's to look at him. Stefan said, "Yeah, well, um... we're gonna figure out a way to deal with, uh, Pearl and the vampires, yeah?"

I nodded at him, then looked to Damon for confirmation. His gaze was still steadily on me, when he nodded as well. His gaze flickered to Stefan once, back to me, to the wall behind us, then he left the room.

I swear, he was less predictable _now, _then even when I first met him.

I turned to Stefan who was staring at the wooden floors that suddenly interested him. I took a step towards him, and placed a hand on his arm. "You okay?" I asked gently. Had I upset him in any way?

His leaf green eyes found mine, and his jaw finally relaxed. Without a word, he pulled me into his arms, and took a deep breath. "I'm fine," he said, "It's just frightening how understanding and caring you can be at times. Even when my brother doesn't deserve it."

Did I seem that way? I thought I was acting sort of cynically towards Damon. I wasn't sure what to say exactly, so I just lifted my head up to see his kind eyes, and the soft smile on his face. God, he was handsome. "So, I think we need to decide on what we're going to do about the tomb vampires." I spoke up, changing the subject.

"Damon and I are gonna handle everything, I promise," He said, as if reassuring me.

I was definitely _not _reassured. I gave him a confused look, "I'm not doubting you guys or anything, I just don't want you guys to get hurt. Isn't there something I can do to help?"

He held my face between his palms, as his eyes turned solid. "Ariana, we won't get hurt." He said, "The best thing for you to do is to stay at home, where it's safe."

I sighed. I felt completely useless. His words pained me because they were true; I couldn't help out, I mean, I couldn't even defend myself. I'd just be a burden rather than an asset. "I know, I just wish there was some way to know that you'd be completely safe," I said, "I'll be worried."

He smiled, "Then I guess you'll know what it's like to worry about someone 24/7." He said, and I rolled my eyes. "But seriously, you have nothing to worry about. I'll be fine. As long as I know you're safe, my head will be completely clear."

I smiled, and buried my head into his chest. His arms wound tighter around me. I closed my eyes and said, "Good."

Stefan's head had better be clear, or else there would be no one to keep Damon in line either. I couldn't bear the thought of never seeing one of them again.

* * *

The storm was still going on hours after I returned home. A knock suddenly sounded at the door, and I opened it. Damon strolled into the house, and I gave him a look. He seemed concerned about something. "You've been ignoring me." He stated, after I closed the front door.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, confused.

He gave me a disbelieving look, "I called you like twenty times."

I reached into my purse on the table, and took out my phone. After pressing a few buttons, I sighed when the screen remained black. "Sorry," I said to him, "My phone's dead."

That's the problem with the phone I had; I needed to constantly charge it. "Is Stefan here?" He asked me, alert.

"No," I said warily, "What's happened? Is something wrong?"

"He went out in the woods and didn't come back." Damon stated, and my stomach churned. "I can't get him on his phone. I figured he was here with you."

I shook my head, "I haven't seen him since I left the boarding house." I told him, "Where could he be?"

"You're not going to like what I'm thinking." He said. The seriousness in his voice scared me. He wasn't usually this serious... or... worried. I knew he must've cared about Stefan, but he rarely showed it. Seeing it now, I knew something was definitely wrong.

* * *

My heart pounded in rhythm with the pattering of rain, as I waited for Damon in his car. For once the roof was up, not allowing the rain to drench me. Sight outside the window was impossible for more than a few feet, since the grey and misty fog covered the entire woods.

I was so worried that I was practically freaking out. My hands couldn't stop touching everything: the steering wheel, the dashboard, the radio, my leather seat, the _other _leather seat. If I didn't start moving around now I was going to explode from all the jittering and worry. Stress got to me, and I could literally feel myself turning into a crazy maniac.

They had Stefan; the tomb vampires captured Stefan. Oh God, please help me. Tears wanted to escape my eyes, but I wouldn't let them. Maybe there was a chance. Maybe Stefan wasn't really with the vampires, but had somehow gotten lost while feeding off the animals. Yeah.

Not likely. Only an idiot would think a vampire had gotten lost in their own woods.

A human easily could though, considering how dense the fog and rain was.

Suddenly, I saw a shadow of a figure up ahead. At first, I was scared, but once he was closer I saw who it was; Damon. Grabbing the black umbrella from the back seat I opened the car door, I slid out and closed it as Damon approached me. The freezing cold air went right through my sweater dress and tights, easily making me shiver. I raised the umbrella higher so that he could also be under it. Not that it helped much. He was already soaked from head to toe. Of course, he wasn't cold. He was a vampire, after all.

"They have him." He immediately said, referring to Stefan. I could see the worry etched across his face, no matter how much he tried to hide it. "I can't get in."

Shit. Stefan really was a prisoner. I tried to keep it together as all the worries I had hoped weren't true, just became reality. All of it crashed down on top a me. The vampires were currently living somewhere in the woods, a few miles down the road from Mystic Falls. "Why not?" I asked Damon, trying to peer into the silver mist. No use.

"Because the woman who owns the house is compelled to not let me in." He answered. His hair was wet, and dripping water onto the muddy ground.

Then, a realization hit me. "I can get in." I blurted out, looking up into Damon's ice blue eyes. They were the perfect color for the weather.

"You're not going in there." He stated immediately after. I noticed how he said it as I statement, not a suggestion.

"Stefan's in there," I told him, trying a different approach. "I have to get him out." I tried taking a step away from him, but his hands grabbed my upper arms, keeping me in place.

He was completely unmoved, "You're not going in there," He repeated, this time with more emphasis.

Though his eyes looked like frost and crystal snowflakes, they burned with an intensity that made me look away from them for a second. I changed the subject and asked, "Why would they do such a thing? What do they want?"

I had a feeling I already knew what it was. "Revenge." Damon answered, confirming my thoughts, "They want revenge."

I breathed quickly in and out, worry clouding my judgement. Words started spilling out. "We gotta do something."

"I know." He said, but I barely payed any attention.

"We can't let him get hurt." I continued, "We gotta help him. We-"

Damon cut me off. "I know," He said. His icy fingers reached across the small space between us as he placed the palms of his hands on either side of my face. Though they were wet and cold, through all of that I could feel the warmth from within. He forced me to look up and into his eyes. "Ariana. I know. But it's not safe for you, and I don't know how to get him out." I had to resist the urge to lean into him, and to become enveloped in fire. It was tempting, but I ignored the feeling.

I was finally able to calm down a bit as he said that. We needed to find a solution, and quick. Who knows what those vampires have been doing to Stefan. If we didn't act fast, my boyfriend wouldn't make it through the day.

* * *

"I wish you wouldn't involve Alaric into this mess." I told Damon as we walked down the corridors of the high school, in the direction of Alaric's classroom. Damon thought it best to involve my birth mother's ex-husband (though not technically), to rescue Stefan from a bunch of vampires because of some protection ring. Long story short: Alaric tried to stake Damon because he found out Damon had turned Isobel into a vampire. Damon killed Alaric, and now somehow he was back to life. Alaric told Stefan, who told Damon and I, that it was because of his ring.

Was I pissed off about Damon killing Alaric? Totally. But... Alaric was still alive, I mean, I saw him the other day at school.

Damon looked at me, "Do you want Stefan back or not?" I stayed silent. He proceeded, "Exactly. And besides, it's not like Alaric's gonna actually die or anything. He has that ring of his." I sighed. Damon came to an abrupt halt, and said, "I can here him; stay here."

Damon then walked a few meters and turned the corner, now out of sight.

"Well, don't you look...alive?" I heard Damon say from the echos of the other corridor.

"You can't hurt me." It was Alaric's voice. I gasped.

"Oh, I can hurt you, all right." Damon stated.

Rolling my eyes I turned the corner and stood in the hallway where Damon and Alaric were having a three meters apart face-off. Damon's back was to me, meaning that Alaric was facing me too. His eyes flashed to me from my movements, and his angry face softened into a look of confusion and surprise.

"Mr. Saltzman..." I started off, hesitantly, "We need your help."

* * *

Since Alaric already knew about vampires and the basic things about the supernatural, I skipped the introductions. It was strange, talking to him and asking for help, but it was my only chance.

In Alaric's classroom, he sat at his desk while Damon took a seat on the crook of where the wall met the window. I stood in front of Alaric, and explained, "Stefan's in the house. Damon's a vampire, so he can't get in." I took a pause, and waited until his confusion disappeared, "We need you. I would go, but..."

"But your life is valuable." Damon piped up, his eyes drifting over to Alaric, "Yours, on the other hand is..."

I rolled my eyes. He made it sound as if Alaric's life was completely expendable, with or without the ring. Speaking of the ring, I automatically spotted it on Alaric's ring finger, where his hands were clasped together on his wooden table.

He caught my line of gaze, and replied to my unspoken question, "What about it?"

"Let me recap..." Damon said. "You tried to kill me. I defended myself. You died. Then according to Stefan, your ring brought you back to life." He raised his eyebrows and smirked, "Am I leaving anything out?"

"Yeah," Alaric retorted with a glare, "The part where I try and kill you again. Only this time, I don't miss."

I sighed, we didn't have time for this. "Mr. Saltzman." I pleaded, "It's Stefan. Please help us."

Alaric's eye twitched, "I'm sorry, Ariana. But it's not my problem."

My chest tightened at the truth of his words. It was unfair of me to ask him of this, but how else were we supposed to get Stefan out? I could feel the seconds go by, like a clock ticking, the battery about to die out, coming to an end. I was going crazy.

"That's a shame." Damon commented on Alaric's last claim, "Because the woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife."

Both Alaric and I turned to look at Damon in alarm. What? Pearl knew how to find Isobel?

"You're lying." Alaric stated. That's what I was thinking. There's know way that could be true, right?

"Am I?" Damon challenged, "Why don't you ask her for yourself?" Damon stood up and walked behind me saying, "Coward. Come on, Ariana."

I ignored him, and kept my eyes on Alaric. I couldn't stop the longing I had for Isobel, even though I knew that Damon was only saying what he said to get Alaric to join us. Still, I allowed the desperation to fill my voice as I looked Alaric in the eye. His grey eyes looked conflicted as I pleaded, "Please, Alaric." Surprise covered his features at me using his first name. I didn't care for the formalities, and by the looks of it, nor did he. "Stefan's in there; we can't just let him die. He's good."

Alaric looked at me for a few seconds, before sighing and running his hand through his sandy colored hair. "All right." He blew out, "I'll come with you."

* * *

My mouth popped open as Alaric rolled out a black bag. Inside contained an arsenal of vampire weapons, ranging from wooden stakes, to bullets, to glass containers and shots filled with a transparent liquid.

"Teacher by day, vampire hunter by night." Damon said, as he stood next to me, eyeing the dangerous weapons that could kill him.

"I've you to thank for that." Alaric retorted.

Ignoring the comment, I picked up one of the big glass and plastic dart filled with the strange liquid. It looked like water, put it felt denser. Something clicked in my mind, "Is this...?"

"Those are tranquilizer darts filled with vervain." Alaric responded.

Cool. This way we'd be able to weaken vampires without actually killing them.

"Just get me in." Damon ordered Alaric, "I'll get Stefan out."

Wow, what a plan, against at least twenty-six other vampires, excluding Anna and Pearl. I turned to Damon, and asked, "How are you gonna take on all of them by yourself?"

"With my awesome skills of course." Damon smirked. "Don't worry, I'll be a little stealthier than that, hopefully."

I rolled my eyes, not thinking about the fact that Damon would be up against at least twenty times himself. At least he's had a century and a half more experience than the others. Reaching out, I took out another one of the vervain darts, while Alaric gave me a look of question. "What?" I asked.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going with you guys." I answered. Did they think I was just going to stand back while they risked their lives for the person I loved? Yeah, no. I wasn't gonna wait around to find out whether or not they were going to survive. It was lame, and I already felt useless. Maybe I could be the bait. Not the best job in the world, but it was better than doing nothing.

"No." Damon immediately protested, shaking his head. He took the darts out of my hands. "No. No. No. No way."

"I could help you get Stefan out." I suggested, without really knowing how in the hell I was gonna do that.

"You'll get yourself killed." Damon said sternly, "You're not going in there."

"Damon-" I tried, but he cut me off.

"Ariana," He explained, "I know how to sneak around where they can't hear me. You don't."

"But Damon, you can't go in there by yourself. You'll get hurt." I said.

"What about you?" He questioned, "Look, you can drive the getaway car, but you're not going in the house."

"It's Stefan we're talking about here," I said, trying to convince him, "Your brother. If I can help out in any way, please, let me."

"Oh, I understand." He said, suddenly turning less serious. He was teasing me. "I understand. He's the reason you live. His love lifts you up where you belong." He rolled his eyes, "I get it, and I rather not talk about it."

I gave him a look. "Damon. Be serious."

"I am being serious." He said, sternly. His body was turned, facing me, as his eyes had completely frozen over, as he willed me to understand. I knew I was being difficult, but I loved Stefan and I wanted him out. Damon continued, his voice hard, standing only inches away from me. "I can't protect you, Ariana. I don't know how many vampires there are in there." He lifted his hand, and snapped his fingers, "That's how long it takes for you to get your head ripped off. I have to be able to get in and get out. I can't be distracted with your safety. Or this will end in a bloodbath that none of us walk away from...including Stefan."

When he said Stefan, I gave up the fight. He was right, I'd just get in the way. I sighed, and looked away from him.

Damon reached out, and touched my arm. I looked back into his eyes, which were now soft. He said gently, "I know. I get it. I understand."

His expression confused me. Did this mean that he cared about Stefan a lot too? Well, of course he did. But the way he was looking at me... made it feel like he was thinking about... something else.

I had forgotten about Alaric, and his voice startled me when he said awkwardly, "If we're gonna go...let's go."

I nodded once, and pulled away from Damon. The emotions running inside of me, were confusing. I had to focus on getting Stefan back. Wait, scratch that. I needed to focus on driving the freaking "getaway" car.

* * *

I felt like I was going to throw up. All this worry and fear was eating away at me. I sat in Damon's car again, as him and Alaric went to go get Stefan. Alaric promised he would be back soon, after he got Damon into the house. And _Damon, _promised that he wouldn't return without Stefan. Trust me, that was not in the least bit comforting to hear.

I took out one of the vervain darts that Damon had left with me, in case something were to happen, but he was sure that I'd be completely safe, and that I had nothing to worry about. This would all be over, soon enough.

Then, a sudden darkness passed over the window, barely noticeable, through the storm that was still going on. I gasped and froze. Grasping the vervain dart tighter, I waited several heartbeats for something to happen. And it did.

The car door swung open, and a pair of hands grabbed me around the waist, pulling me out into the cold rain, before closing the door again. I shrieked, and the person holding me spun me around, so I could see fangs and red eyes. Finding it my only weapon, I tried stabbing the vampire with the vervain dart, not allowing fear to get to me. But he easily dodged it, and hit my hand, sending the dart flying out of my line of sight.

He grabbed my arms, his grip so tight it almost hurt. Then, his fangs retracted, and his deep brown eyes were confused as the red faded away. His grip loosened a bit, but nowhere near enough for me to try and get away. Struggling was pointless.

"Katherine?" He questioned. I didn't know who this vampire was, but he seemed to know who my ancestor was. "No, you're human." He gave me a creepy wide smile, his eyes looked crazed. Damn it, what was he gonna do to me? I was already drenched in water, and his dirty blonde hair splattered water everywhere - that blended in with the rain - as he gave out a disconcerting laugh. He would've been considered handsome, if not for the fact that he was a vampire. "Oh, we're gonna have a lot of fun." He grabbed my face, and forced me to look up into his eyes, trying to compel me. He sighed, "I hate vervain. I guess I'm just gonna have to do this the hard way."

A sudden pain stabbed at my arm. I caught a picture of a small syringe, and recognized it as one that my dad would give to someone when performing an operation, to help the patient fall asleep. "No, don't..." I trailed off as my eyelids became heavy, and light escaped me. The sensation of falling was replaced by... nothing.

* * *

**3rd person POV:**

Alaric returned to Damon's car, after letting him into the house. Opening the door, he found no one inside. "Damn it, Ariana!" He cursed, grabbing his bag of weapons and returning back to the house full of vampires. He couldn't let anything happen to Ariana, or else he'd never forgive himself. He should've made her stay at her house, where she was safe.

* * *

**Ariana POV:**

The drug started to wear off, and I realized that I was staring up at the ceiling of some sort of cellar. The same guy who had captured me was carrying somewhere. He grinned down once he realized I was awake, "I didn't expect you to be awake so soon." He said. I struggled in his arms, and he only tightened his grip.

"Let me go," I tried to order him, but it came out in a whisper. So lame. I was still weak, and my eyes were barely open, as the drug threatened to drag me back under.

He only chuckled and that's when I heard someone else's voice. "Woah, what do you have over there?" A male obnoxious voice called from down the hall.

"A human, she looks like Katherine." The guy carrying me answered.

"Mmm." A vampire, I assumed, with dark brown hair came into view, and smiled down at me. I felt so helpless. "She could be her identical twin." He commented, referring to Katherine and I. "Beautiful." I shivered. "What are you going to do with her?"

I realized that they weren't talking so much like twenty-first century guys, they still weren't used to it. I felt the blonde guy shrug, "I don't know." He said, "Turn her maybe."

"No..." I protested, my voice weak.

The guy holding me chuckled, "You'll thank me for it later."

The wind rushed passed me, as we went through a door, entering a dimply lit small room. My eyes were wide at the sight, and more fear entered my mind. I became suddenly turned alert. There was another vampire, with dark skin, who was tied to a chair, two stakes stabbed through his upper thighs and to the wood beneath him.

But, the thing I was completely focussed on Stefan, who was tied at his hands, which were connected to a metal hook on the ceiling, while the rest of his body was just hanging, a centimeter off the ground. He was topless, but this was not the time to admire his well built abs and body. Blood ran down his torso, and I let out, "Stefan!"

Stefan's head snapped up, and his tired looking eyes met mine. His dead expression instantly turned to fear, as he tried to struggle uselessly against the ropes and chains that were tied around him. "No, Ariana!" He shouted, trying to reach me.

The vampire carrying me put me down on the cold and dirty cement ground, but before I could go and help Stefan, he tied a rope around my hands, and continued to tie that to a bar above my head. "Don't resist." The creepy vampire said, "It only makes it hurt worse."

I glared at him, because he was right. Every time I moved my hands or arms, the rope scratched and burned my skin.

"Let her go!" Came Stefan's angry voice as he shouted at the two vampires who weren't strapped down. The vampires faced him. "I'll do anything, please, just release her."

"Oh," The brown haired vampire said to him sarcastically, "Is this your girlfriend? Mmm. Too bad you'll never see her again, after we kill you."

"I don't care about that." Stefan retorted, "Just don't hurt her."

The blonde vampire smirked, "Of course not." He smiled wickedly, and shivers ran up and down my body. "Have fun."

The vampires then left, leaving Stefan, the guy still strapped and staked to the chair, and I in the moldy, wet cellar. The dark-skinned vampire gave me a look of sorrow, and said, "I'm Harper, nice to meet you."

I almost smiled at his attempt to make conversation under these...abnormal situations. "Ariana, nice to meet you." I said back, breathing heavily. "Isn't this just great?" I asked sarcastically.

"Fantastic." He replied, a smile playing on his lips, "I just might come back next time."

I gave out a puff of laughter. Stefan was the only one who remained serious, as he said, "Ariana, I'm so sorry."

"What for?" I asked confused. "I'm the one who should've been more careful."

With what was left of his remaining strength, he shook his head, "None of this is ever your fault. Remember that, Ariana."

Before I could question him on that, the door busted open. "Damon!" I called, and the older Salvatore brother whipped his head around to face me. "The vampires-"

"Staked." He answered, rushing over to me.

"No," I protested, "Help Stefan."

He ignored my wishes, and bent down, trying to untie the tight knot of rope around my hands above me. His features were covered in fear as he stated, "I thought I told you to stay in the car."

"I did." I replied, "One of the vampires found me and took me to this... cellar."

"I should've tortured him before killing him." Damon muttered angrily, trying to be gentle while untying the ropes.

"Damon." I said.

"I'm sorry, Ariana." He said, "I'm such an idiot, I shouldn't have left you alone in the car." Finally, the ropes became loose, and Damon helped me up. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said, "And don't worry about it. We need to help Stefan."

Damon nodded, and took a stake out of his sleeve. He turned forty-five degrees, and got ready to stake Harper.

"No." Stefan and I said at the same time, "Not him."

Damon rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He moved over to Stefan. "Let's get you down." He reached for the ropes at Stefan's hands, when Stefan's voice stopped him:

"There's vervain on the ropes."

"I'll do it." I said, moving closer to them.

Damon pointed to a metal handle that was keeping the ropes around Stefan's hands. "Pull that." He said.

A rush of air left me as I pushed the lever, and the ropes came undone as Stefan practically collapsed, his feet barely holding him up. I came over to him, and placed his arm around my shoulder, trying to help.

Damon tossed a shirt and jacket at me, "Let's go. Clothes on." He instructed Stefan.

"Wait." I said, leaning over to take the stakes out of Harper's legs. He smiled at me in a silent "thank you".

"Come on." Damon said, "We have to get out of here."

Damon followed me and Stefan out of the cellar and back into the equally dim hallway. We reached a staircase to the ground level, I thought, when Damon asked me, referring to Stefan, "Can you get him back to the car?"

I was already feeling stronger, the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I nodded, "Yeah."

"All right, go." He jerked his head to the upstairs. "Be careful."

"What about you?" I asked him, puzzled.

"You rescue, I'll distract." He said, "Go."

Finally! Finally, some way I could help out. With Stefan half-leaning against me, I walked up the stairs and into the cold, dark night. How long has it been? Surprisingly, the storm had stopped, and it was now just freezing. Icicles were starting to form in my half-wet hair.

* * *

After a few minutes, I lost my footing, and combined with Stefan's weight, we fell. My hand shot out and I sharp pain came from my hand as it took the fall on a rock. Blood ran down the cut in my palm.

"Shoot." I muttered.

"You okay?" Stefan asked weakly, concerned.

"Yeah." I responded, "You're condition is a lot more worse than mine, but come on, keep going. You can make it."

I pulled Stefan back up - with all my strength - and we continued to stumble into the direction of Damon's car. At least, I think it was the same direction. Stefan was weak. Each step he took looked like it took a great deal of strength from him. He tried to help by shifting his weight off of me, but I didn't let him. He needed to lean on me, that way we could move faster, even if it was difficult to keep him up.

* * *

The trees parted, and Damon's car came into sight. It was completely dark, but some light from the moon allowed me to see enough. "Come on," I encouraged Stefan, "It's right over here."

I opened the passenger door, and lowered Stefan carefully into the car. Where the hell was Alaric? He must've gone back into the house upon realizing I was gone. Shit. Damon better get himself and Alaric out alive or... I don't know. But right now, I had to get Stefan out of here.

Taking out the keys, I placed it into the ignition... what? There wasn't one. It had been completely removed with wires hanging out of it. "No." I whispered.

Suddenly, the window next to Stefan smashed open, and glass was flung into the car. Something grabbed Stefan, and dragged him out of the now-broken window.

"Stefan!" I shouted, getting out of the car. I didn't know what to do as I watched the vampire repeatedly punch a broken-looking Stefan. He took a wooden tree branch, and stabbed Stefan. I gasped. Luckily he didn't do it in the heart.

But the next strike would be. Looking around the ground quickly, my eyes darted from any weapon I could use; some weeds, rocks, branches... Then I found it.

I grabbed the vervain syringe that I had dropped earlier into the ground, surprised that by now it hadn't been washed away by the rain yet. Scrambling back up, I pushed myself into the direction of the vampire and stabbed him from the back, in the neck.

With a grunt, the vampire fell to the ground, temporarily unconscious. Stefan lost his footing and dropped onto his back. "Stefan..." I choked out, kneeling beside him.

He was in a lot of pain, as he grimaced. Cuts lined the sides of his face, and even though I knew he'd heal, it was still painful for me to see him like this. The branch was still stuck in his stomach, and I winced after puling it out, seeing more blood pool around that area, soaking into the shirt he had slipped into about ten minutes ago.

His face turned slack, and he closed his eyes. "No." I said, shaking him, "Stefan, stay with me. Stefan. Stefan!"

I looked back, and saw the vampire that had attacked him twitch. No. We needed to get out of here.

"Stefan." I said, tears blurring my vision. "Stefan, please. Stefan."

If he didn't get up, we were both dead. But he was too weak. Whatever the vampires tortured him with, he needed... he needed blood. Even if I were to somehow get an animal, its blood alone wouldn't be enough. He needed _human_ blood.

My eyes drifted to the cut on my palm, and I pressed the blood onto Stefan's lips. "Here." I told him, "Drink."

His eyes were still closed, and he involuntarily licked his lips. His eyes snapped open, and he immediately became rabid, "Ariana, please run."

"No," I said, pressing more blood onto his lips.

"Please, you need to go." He pleaded.

"Stefan." I said, looking into his frightened eyes... frightened for me. I pulled back my cold, wet, sleeve, and exposed my wrist to him, "Here. Take my wrist, you need more blood."

"Go, Ariana." Stefan said, trying to break his gaze with me. He was scared that if he took my blood, he wouldn't be able to stop. But I trusted him. I loved him, and I knew that he would be under control. He wouldn't allow his bloodlust to take over, he could do it. "You don't know what your blood does to me. You need to run. Run..." His voice trailed off.

"No." I said, and I softened my gaze, whispering, "I trust you." I nodded, and smiled.

Stefan finally succumbed and gave over to his instinct. He gently took my wrist, and bit into it. At first, there was a sharp pain, in which I gasped. But then my forearm and hand turned numb, and the sensation was surprisingly pleasant. Good. This way Stefan would become strong and heal.

* * *

I hid behind the car while Stefan played dumb on the ground. The plan was for Stefan to attack the vampire, and, well, kill him. Yeah. Not much of a plan. But I didn't have much sympathy for this vampire; he tried to kill Stefan.

When the vampire regained his strength, he got up, and walked up to Stefan's body, holding another branch. Stefan lashed out suddenly, and pinned him to a tree. Raising his arm, he stabbed the vampire, killing him instantly. Something was wrong. Stefan kept stabbing the vampire, even after he was already dead.

I stood up and ran over to Stefan, touching his arm, "Stefan. Stefan!"

He turned around, and growled at me. I was freaked out. His eyes were red, and fangs protruded from his mouth as he hissed. I took a deep breath out of fear. Stefan never acted this way before, but, at the end of the day, he was a vampire. My blood must've hit something deep within him, allowing him to let go of who he really was for a second.

That's when I realized something. I was scared. I was completely frightened, and would've screamed if not for Stefan stopping his attack on the vampire, his demon face fading away. He looked horrified with himself. He stood there, staring at me as if expecting me to run away from him in fear. But, I knew that he would never hurt me. I was just surprised, that's all.

* * *

I stood in Stefan's room, staring out of the window, deep in thought. After Stefan had killed the vampire, he was reluctant to come near me, afraid that I might react badly. I convinced him that it was okay, and that's when Damon and Alaric joined us. Damon was glad we were both all right, but started complaining about the car's shattered window in order to hide his relief.

Alaric - like Damon - was about to give me a lecture on "staying in the car", when I explained to him that a vampire had grabbed me. Of course, he then felt bad, and was about to apologize when I told him that it was okay. He wanted to continue, but the conversation was already awkward enough, and so he let it go.

Damon was wondering how Stefan was suddenly strong again, and I reluctantly told him about feeding Stefan some blood. He didn't talk the rest of the drive. Damon dropped Stefan and I off at the boarding house, while he took himself and Alaric to the Grill, probably about to get drunk on alcohol.

So now I stood here, waiting for Stefan to finish showering. From the reflected light off the window, it acted sort of as a mirror, and I saw Stefan approach me from behind. I turned around, and smiled at him, "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," He said, "The wounds have mostly healed."

"Good." I said, stepping up to him.

"Ariana..." He trailed off.

"Yeah?" I questioned, afraid of what he was gonna say.

"You were so brave today. I'm sorry that...I'm sorry that you had to see me...like that." He said, "You shouldn't have to witness...something like that."

I smiled a bit, touched his arm, and immediately relaxed. "Stefan," I said, "You're a vampire. Bloodlust is part of the deal, and I'll help you get through it. I made you drink my..."

He cut me off. "What?" He questioned, "No. No. No. No. You didn't make me do anything. You were saving my life. You shouldn't have to deal with all of this, and I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." I told him. "It's okay. I want to help you."

Stefan smiled, and cupped my face. "Thank you," he whispered, "You're so understanding. I always wonder why you don't ever run away from me, even when I'm a monster."

"You could never be a monster," I told him, truthfully, "I love you, and everything's gonna be okay."

"I love you too, so much." He said, leaning down to kiss me. When our lips were about an inch apart from each other, a shrill ring startled me. My phone. Stefan groaned, and I giggled.

Taking my phone out, I looked at the caller ID, and answered it, "Hey, Jer..."

That's all I was able to get out, when suddenly a hysterical sobbing interrupted me.

"What-what's going on?" I asked him, "Are you okay?"

"It's Vicki..." He got out in between sobs, "She - she's d-dead..."

"Oh, no." I said, looking at Stefan's alarmed face. They must've found her body.

* * *

I rang the doorbell of Matt's house, tears welling up in my eyes. It was as if I was replaying Vicki's death over and over again in my mind, like a broken recorder. It was horrible, haunting me.

Kelly opened the door, and let me in. After giving her my condolences, I walked into the hallway, remembering where Matt's room was. I didn't have to go that far. Matt was already in the hallway, and when he saw me, his face scrunched up, and he rushed over to me.

"Matt..." I sad sadly, as he wrapped his arms tight around me, sobs racking through his body. I knew the pain he was in. I lost both my parents, and I was a disaster for weeks. Matt just found out that his sister's been dead for a couple months now, and I felt bad for not telling him. But how could I? It wasn't my secret to tell. I couldn't explain to him about vampires, or else he'd either freak out, or think I was crazy.

So we stood there in his hallway, while we just held on to each other. Matt and I had a connection that would never be broken. We may have loved each other differently, but it was still love, and I loved Matt, a lot. I cared about his feelings, and right now, he needed me. So, I knew, that I wouldn't be the first one to let go...

* * *

Jeremy and I got back home, and I worried over whether or not he was gonna be okay. He wasn't crying, but his face was in an expressionless mask; like a zombie. _Great, another supernatural. _

I walked over to Jeremy and hugged him. At first, he didn't respond. But he eventually raised his arms, and hugged me back.

"Hey," A voice came from the staircase. I looked up and saw Elena there, looking sad. She held up her phone, "I just got your text..." She looked at our brother, "I'm sorry, Jeremy."

"Yeah, well," Jeremy shrugged, "It's not like you ever liked her anyways."

Elena have him a pleading look. Sliding out of my arms, Jeremy said, "I'm gonna... gonna go get some sleep. Goodnight."

He walked up the stairs, and Elena and I just stared at each other. She was starting to finally show some emotion that made sense.

"I'm sorry," She said. I blinked a couple times, trying to make sure that I wasn't dreaming or something. "I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you these past few months. I guess I was just jealous. I hope that you can... forgive me."

"Elena," I said, walking over to her, and giving her a hug. She was stiff for a few seconds, before awkwardly putting her arms around me too. I pulled away, "Of course I'll forgive you. You're my sister, and I love you."

It's true that these past few months, Elena's been having bipolar reactions. One minute she'd be a bitch, then the next, she'd be the caring sister. It confused me, but as long as she was willing to accept me, then I would accept her for who she was.

"Thank you..." She whispered. She said it as if afraid that I wouldn't forgive her, as if it ate away at her.

"You're welcome." I said, "And we'll be here for each other and for Jeremy; whenever he needs us."

"Okay," she got out. She wasn't used to this, for we haven't hugged each other for probably half a year. But it felt right, and I was happy that she wasn't mad at me anymore.

That's one problem solved... but there's still a million more to go.

* * *

**Ooh, I just LOVED this episode. Watching it on TV was awesome, but rewriting it somewhat was exhilarating! It was fun, fantastic, and took hours to do :P So please, review! Thank you!**

**-Spiralcloud**


	20. Under Control

**UNDER CONTROL**

"Jeremy? Elena? If we don't go to school now, we're gonna be late!" I called upstairs, while quick-walking towards the front door.

Jenna came scrambling from the kitchen, holding out my thermos, "Forgot this."

"Thanks, Jenna," I told her. "Tell Elena and Jeremy I'll wait for them in the car."

"Will do."

Smiling, I opened the front door, almost walking straight into someone: Uncle John. Alright, not to be mean or anything, but for the few times that John would actually show up, he spent it making others feel humiliated and embarrassed, which wasn't very nice. He never really said anything insulting to me, but dad and mom were always on edge when he was around. To translate: John = Asshole.

At least, that's how he'd seem.

John's hand was raised in a fist, obviously about to knock. He instantly smiled when he saw me, "Ariana!"

"Uncle John!" I said as enthusiastically as possible, without sounding fake, "Hi."

John then shifted his gaze to Jenna behind me, "Jenna."

"John, you made it." She said, not bothering to hide her distaste.

"I said I'll be here before noon." He said obviously, entering the house. What was he doing here again?

"Oh what you say and what you do are typically two _very _different things." Jenna stated, slightly glaring at John.

Elena and Jeremy finally descended the stair case, both surprised upon seeing our visitor. "Oh, it's you," Elena said, not glad at all.

John's smile faded. Jeremy called out, "Uncle John, what's up?"

"Hey!" John greeted back. But, Jeremy simply slapped him on the shoulder, and walked passed him, out the front door. _Okay, then. _Jeremy was, of course, still sad about Vicki. Even after these few months, I was still sad, and what made it even more so, was the fact that Jeremy had not only lost both his parents, but a girlfriend whom he had loved dearly. He was happy with her, and then he had to find out she was dead.

Elena nudged me as she walked behind Jeremy, indicating for me to follow her. Oh, that's right, I had to drive them to school. John recovered awkwardly from my siblings behavior, and explained, "I had some business in town; I thought that a visit was in order."

"Oh," I asked, curious, "How long are you staying?"

"I don't know yet." He answered, looking guilty. Did I even want to know what this "business" was?

"Okay, well," I said, confused, "School starts in a few minutes, so, I'll see you later." I gave him a smile, and walked over to my car.

I heard John say "Bye," to me, but I didn't look back. Anyone else would think he was just a family member coming to see his relatives, but, there was something off about him. More so now than ever before; it was unnerving.

* * *

Elena, Jeremy, and I, went our separate ways once we arrived at school. Matt waved me over from his locker, and I smiled as I walked over there. He seemed happy, trying to get over the loss of his sister. I told him about Uncle John, and how he suddenly decided to show up. Well, actually, apparently he had communicated with Jenna, but she didn't tell me or my siblings.

"Uncle John, I never really liked that guy," Matt said, taking out books from his locker. Wow, if _Matt_ didn't like someone, then I guess no one else could. Unless, Matt was jealous, but that wasn't usually the case. He had integrity, so he rarely lied.

"Not many people do," I said, "There's just something... off about him."

"Well, I'm here for moral support if you need me." Matt said, smiling.

"Thanks, but it's okay," I said, "We all have our own problems to handle."

"You don't have to do it alone though," he said, paused, then changed the subject, "Thank you by the way, for just... for everything you did at Vicki's funeral and the memorial. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Of course, Matt." I said, "I'm here to help you, 'cause I care about you."

Matt looked at me for a long time, smiling. He could communicate without words, telling me that he was grateful. "I care about you too." He said, finally breaking the silence.

I changed the subject, "So, was Caroline still baking for you guys, around the clock?" Since Kelly wasn't exactly the best at cooking, Caroline would come to Matt's house, bringing dinner and pastries. I could relate to Kelly though, I _sucked _at cooking. Thank God, for Caroline. It was sweet too, Caroline was actually very caring, even if she didn't seem to be at times.

"She finally went to her dad, which is a good thing because my mom was going to strangle her if she dropped off one more lasagna." Matt explained, smiling. I laughed. He closed his locker and walked with me as we joked about other things. It was nice, and I was really happy for him. Caroline seemed like a good match, they acted differently, and therefore evened each other out. But I knew that my best friend was _pining _over Matt, and soon enough, Matt would feel the same way towards her as well.

* * *

After History class, Alaric told me to stay in, probably something more personal than academic. Turns out, it was a bit of both.

"I made a copy of a paper Jeremy wrote for me." He said, taking it out of his teacher's desk, "I think you should take a look at it."

He handed me the few pages of paper, and I took it, confused. On the front was the title: _Fact or Fiction: The Truth about Vampires in Mystic Falls _

My heart sped up, Jeremy knew about vampires? "Jeremy wrote this?" I asked Alaric, hoping it wasn't true.

Alaric shrugged, and took a seat on the desk in front of the chair I was sitting on, "He's very clear that he didn't think it was real,"

I looked at the paper for a few more seconds, thinking to myself. "Do you think that...that I should just come clean... with all of it? Not just to Jeremy, but to Elena too?"

Alaric lowered his voice, "It's your decision to make."

I sighed, and gave Alaric the essay back. I wanted to tell them, but the truth was, I was scared. Scared of how they'd react, whether they'd hate me or not. Elena and I were just starting to get along again, did I want to further ruin that relationship?

"So, how do you deal with it?" Alaric asked me.

"What?" I wasn't paying attention, lost in my own world of confusion.

"How do you deal with the lies and secrets?" He questioned, "You have to lie to everyone who's important to you."

I shook my head, "It's hard," I admitted, "Which is why I'm having second thoughts on not telling them, but it's for their own protection; to keep them safe. I'm mean, how do you tell someone you love about all of this? Especially when you don't know everything yourself?"

"I don't know." He said. We sat there in silence, lost to our own thoughts for a minute or two. Then, I came back to reality, when Alaric suddenly stood up, the table creaking under the release of pressure. He spoke his thoughts in a gust of air, "I think Stefan's a good guy. But at the end of the day, he's still a vampire."

"Being a vampire doesn't necessarily change a person, other than them drinking blood." I explained to him, "Stefan's different; he would never do anything to hurt me."

Alaric nodded, but he didn't seem entirely convinced.

* * *

Stefan arrived at my house after I called him, wanting to tell him about Jeremy. Stefan and I sat on my bed, and I was worried that Jeremy may have remembered something, but Stefan said otherwise.

"Damon took those memories away for good, you don't have to worry about that." He said.

Then, I thought of something, "You know Anna?" I asked Stefan. He nodded, "Maybe she told Jeremy something."

"It's possible," he agreed, "Tell you what: Why don't you just ask him?"

I sighed, "I... I want to. But I'm afraid of what he's gonna say afterwards. He might never trust me again. And if I tell Jeremy, then I'll have to tell Elena, and she probably won't ever talk to me again. Especially since I haven't even told her that we're adopted." Everything was so frustrating!

Stefan placed a hand on mine, and smiled, "They're your siblings, they'll forgive you." he said, "You can decide whether or not you want to tell them everything or just a part of it."

I closed my eyes and suppressed a groan. That's basically the same thing Alaric said to me. Were they correct? Was it really _my _decision to make? It was not like _I _was a vampire or anything. Alright, I'd tell them by the end of the week. No more secrets, no more lies, and no more "cover ups". After that, I'd just have to worry about Jenna. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to know, and could therefore live her life the way she deserved to.

I took my mind of that, and decided to focus on Stefan. He seemed a bit on edge, suppressing... something. Bloodlust. "How are you doing?" I asked him, this time giving him my full support.

"Much, much better," he said, "I'm still, you know... a little jittery, sometimes a bit too alert, but I'm gonna be okay."

"That's good to hear," I said, smiling, "I've been worried, and I really miss you,"

"I just needed to lay low for a while, and let my body readjust." He explained, "It's only been a few days."

"It feels like a lifetime." I joked to him.

My lips tingled as we kissed, and he whispered to me, "I miss you too." Then he deepened the kiss, and leaned forward, pushing me gently so that my back was flat against my bed. My breathing quickened and so did his as we continued to kiss with passion, all of my worries and thoughts leaving me. I rolled over so that I was suddenly on top of Stefan, and smiled as I kissed him. Electricity buzzed through me, almost becoming overwhelming. Then, I heard a low growl rumble from deep within Stefan's chest, as he somewhat aggressively rolled us back over, his body hovered just barely above mine, pressing against me.

His hands caressed my body; my thighs, hips, waist, back, face, while I ran my fingers over his hard muscles on his back and shoulder. There were no thoughts of coherency.

Suddenly, Stefan stopped. At first, I didn't realize it because I was still trying to make sense of my surrounding, but once I saw his face right above mine, looking concerned, I asked, trying to control my breathing, "Stefan, what's wrong,"

His features changed; leaf-green eyes turning red; veins spreading across his cheeks; fangs appearing right between his lips. I sucked in a deep breath at this, and Stefan suddenly disappeared. He threw himself backwards, flying across the room, and hit the far wall and my dressing table. He fell onto the hardwood floors, followed by my jewelry, and the sound of my lamp shattering.

I stared at him, shocked. What the heck was happening? Was Stefan really okay, like he had claimed?

* * *

Stefan left promptly after the event, afraid of hurting me if he got too near. He had apologized profusely, said he loved me, but then... just left. There was definitely something wrong; his bloodlust was getting to him, and I wanted to help.

I heard a knock coming from the front door, and breathed out a sigh of relief. Opening it, I found Damon on the other side, smirking as usual. I had called him to help with Stefan, I needed to know what he knew.

"Thanks for coming." I told him, as he walked in.

"You ask, I come," He said, "I'm easy like that."

_Yeah, sure. _I gestured for him to follow me upstairs, and started to walk towards the staircase.

Damon's voice turned loud, as he eyed Jeremy and Elena who were eating breakfast in the kitchen. "No Ariana, I will not go to your bedroom with you."

I rolled my eyes, suppressed a laugh, and caught his arm, pulling him with me as we went upstairs. He was laughing the whole way there. I sighed, I wondered what Jeremy and Elena were thinking.

Opening the door to my room, I let Damon in, then closed it behind us. "Ah," he stated creepily, as he looked around, "Just like I remember."

I scoffed. I didn't even want to know what the hell he was talking about. He walked over to me bed, and plopped down onto it. Despite my bed being kind-size, his feet almost hung over the edge. He grabbed the stuffed teddy bear in the middle of the pillows, and fiddled with it. The bear was white, with black beads as eyes, and had a red ribbon tied around its neck, while it carried a matching heart that said, "_I love you_." in script. It was a gift from Matt last Valentine's Day, when we were still going out, and it brought back many memories that - for the time being - I decided to push away.

"Did you know that your uncle has been kicking it with the Founder's Council?" Damon asked me, interrupting my thoughts.

"John?" I questioned. Great, so did this mean he knew about vampires? Was that why he was here?

"Yep." Damon stated.

"Perfect," I said sarcastically. So it was true, "Not like we have enough problems as it is."

Damon's eyes narrowed in on the space between my dressing table and armoire, and his chin jutted out, as he asked, "What happened over there."

I looked over to where he was looking at, and realized that I had forgotten to pick up the pieces of jewelry and broken glass that Stefan had smashed into yesterday. "Uh..." I said, uncomfortable, "Don't worry about it."

He looked at me, eyebrows raised, but didn't question it aloud. Anyways, I didn't plan on answering his unspoken question. Instead, I changed the topic.

"I'm worried about Stefan," I started, "He says the everything's okay but... he's struggling. And... I wanna help."

Damon got up from my bed, and walked towards me, handing me the soft, plush teddy bear that I accepted. "Why are you so worried?" He asked me, "What's the big deal?"

"He's still Stefan, but he's acting differently." I said, "He seems uncomfortable and I just wish for him to feel better. He doesn't have to go through this alone." I placed the teddy bear back onto my bed.

Damon looked away and walked passed me, walking to my dresser. He opened the top drawer, and said, "Well, maybe the problem is that he had spent too long not being himself."

My eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean?" I asked.

"What I mean is," Damon explained, looking at me through the reflection of my mirror, "that my baby brother should've gone through this phase a _long,_ long time ago. The blood lust thing... uncontrollable huger... it comes from trying to run away from it, when he should've dealt with it. Translation: Since Stefan drinks from furry little creatures, at his first taste of human blood, in a long time - especially yours," he gave me a look, "Is enough to send him into a frenzy."

I pondered over this for a few seconds, though it was still too much to take in. Could it be possible? After all these years of not drinking human blood, he tasted mine, and suddenly couldn't push the urge back down. Is someone tasted heaven, how could they go back to how things were before?

Damon reached into the open drawer, and pulled out something. I was so distracted, that I had forgotten that drawer contained my bras. The one in his hand was a lacy red and black one I got from a lingerie set at Victoria's Secret. Sighing, I walked over to Damon, who smirked, and plucked the cotton article of clothing out of his hands, stuffing it back into the drawer, closing it.

"What can I do, Damon?" I asked him.

Before answering, he reached behind me, and when he drew his hand back, I saw him holding a photo of Elena, Jeremy, and I, about a year back. My hand shot out, trying to claim it back, but he moved away quickly, still smirking, "You can't do anything," he said, shrugging, "It is what it is, Ariana. The Stefan you know was 'good behavior Stefan', 'reign it in Stefan', 'fight against his _nature _into an annoying level... Stefan'. But if you think there isn't another part to this then you have not been paying attention."_  
_

I listened attentively, as I walked closer to him. I walked so close to him, that I could see my reflection in the lenses of his eyes. Now that he was distracted, I swiftly swiped the photo back from his fingers, before he even had time to react. I walked backwards as he finally came out of his daze, placing the photo back in place, on the frame of my mirror.

Turning back around, I said, "I know that there are... different sides to a person. I usually choose to see the good in people, and try to look past all the bad things they've done." I gave him a look, and he gulped a little, not out of fear, but nervousness. "So, even though Stefan may be going through a ... difficult phase... at the end of the day, he's still Stefan. Bloodlust was part of me accepting him as who he is, and now, I want to deal with the consequences."

Damon stood there, silent for a few seconds. The time passing was just about to go over the brink of "awkward", when he finally asked, "What if I told you he was turning into me?"

I almost scoffed at that, "He's not you." I stated. "You may be brothers, but inside, you're two completely different people."

"Well, he doesn't want to be me." He said, obviously. He started walking towards me. "That doesn't mean that deep down..." he lowered his voice "...he's not."

As he came closer, I automatically took a step back, finding no where else to go. The dresser pressed against my lower back, and Damon stopped only an inch in front of me, so close that his entire body was almost pressed up against him. He looked down at me with a weird glint in his eyes. The body heat radiating off him warmed the short distance between us, and the strange fire I always got when around him started to come back again. I shouldn't have been thinking about this, but I couldn't help but admire how beautiful he was. It was enough to drive any girl mad.

I almost sighed in relief when he stepped back from me, and walked out of my room and into the hallway. Shaking off the jittery feeling, I impatiently waited as my heart beat slowed down. My breathing returned to normal, and I was flooded with a strange sense of calm. What the hell was wrong with me?

* * *

I knocked on Jeremy's door, deciding once and for all that I would tell my siblings, that Elena and I were adopted. I wasn't ready to tell them about vampires yet. "Hey," I called out to Jeremy.

"What's up?" He asked me, turning his computer away from me quite suspiciously.

"Do you have some time to talk?" I asked him.

"Uh, yeah, sure." He said, gesturing for me to come in.

"Not here." I told him, "I need to talk to Elena too. Come on;" I smiled, "let's get out of the house.

* * *

After getting Elena to come along with us, I decided to take them to the lake. We walked along the dirt, the intersection between the water and the woods. At first, I didn't know where to start, but, I eventually told them about the adoption. I left out the major details; like how Isobel, a vampire turned by Damon, was our birth mother. Of course, they didn't believe me, especially Elena, but after providing all the evidence I had, it started to sink in. They were both silent for a while, and Elena seemed to be on the brink of raging.

"I just can't believe mom and dad never told you guys were adopted." Jeremy finally said, standing on my left, and we avoided a rock in our path.

"Pretty annoying if you ask me," Elena said, on my right.

"I'm sure they would've told us eventually," I told her.

She narrowed her eyes, "And when were _you _planning on telling me?"

"Elena, I wanted to." I stated, "But I needed to know enough before I could just suddenly blurt it out. I needed to have some questions answered. Unfortunately, trying to find the answers only raised more questions..."

Like; who my birth father was; when I'd see Isobel; what was she like as a vampire; how she could relate back to Katherine... The list went on.

"Still," Elena muttered, "You could've told me sooner. I feel like everything that I've ever known..." she shook her head, "Is all a lie."

"That's how I felt when I first found out." I admitted, "But, it doesn't really change anything for me. Mom and dad were our parents, and whoever our birth parents were... it doesn't really matter." But it did. I wanted to know my birth parents, but I wasn't sure whether Elena had the same level of curiosity I had when it came to these things. She'd either "go with the flow", or completely ride against the current.

We were silent for a few minutes, then Jeremy spoke up, "When you first bought up the subject, why were you worried about what I thought?"

I shrugged, "We grew up, thinking that we were all related." I said, "Finding this out..."

"It's kinda weird," Elena answered, speaking my thoughts.

"Does it bug you guys that we're not?" Jeremy asked us.

We shook our heads. "No Jer." I said, "You'll always be our brother, no matter what."

He smiled in reply.

"So," I started, uncomfortable about having this conversation, but I had to know, "Mr. Saltzman said you've been doing great in History now."

"Yeah, yeah, he's really been helping me out." Jeremy agreed, "He gave me some extra credit and stuff."

"That's great," Here comes the dreaded question; in my point of view, at least. I tried keeping my voice light and playful, as I said, "He loved your vampire paper."

"He thought I had a clever angle," Jeremy explained.

"Did you take interest in the subject?" I asked, "Is that why you decided to write a paper on that topic?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I was bored." I concluded, "I'm just as nuts as the long line of Gilbert crazies."

"Gilberts aren't crazy." Elena defended.

"Easy for you to say," Jeremy told her, "You're not one."

She scoffed, reached over and pushed him playfully. They ended up way ahead of me, running around like little children as they bantered back and forth. But the smiles on their faces made me feel content. It was times like these that made me glad I had this life, but it also made me realize, that I couldn't keep them out of the dark anymore. It wasn't fair to them. I'd explain everything to them later, but for now, I'd enjoy this moment.

* * *

Arriving at the Mayor's house for the Founder's Day 150 anniversary celebration, I was greeted with comfortable lighting and people dressed in formal attire. I wore a dark green V-shaped neckline, sleevless mini-dress with gold heels and matching gold jewelry. My hair was loose, but neat.

I smiled when I found Stefan standing by the bar, drinking from a glass. "Hey." I greeted him.

His eyes lit up when he saw me, and he said, "Hey. How are you."

"Good." I answered, and he leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek. That's when I smelt the alcohol on his breath as he pulled away, and the way he sort of wobbled, his movements jerking. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." He responded, "I admit, that I'm a bit drunk, and even though it's a little weird, it's really been helping me. The alcohol takes the edge off."

I chuckled a bit at his resemblance to some of the other guys I've met at parties, "You're totally that drunk high school guy at the party sneaking booze." I joked.

"I totally am, yeah," He agreed, and smiled.

I turned serious. If his bloodlust urge was more complicated than he was letting on, I needed to know, in order to help him through it. "You gonna be okay?" I asked, concerned, as I placed a hand lightly on his arm.

"Yeah!" He replied, "No, yeah. You don't need to be worried. It's just until the cravings go away." He turned completely towards me, and touched my upper arm, "Listen, I think we should enjoy it while it lasts." He lowered his voice, and smiled sexily, "Would you like to dance with me?"

I raised my eyebrows at him, "Dancing?" I joked sarcastically, "Is that word even in your vocabulary?"

"Maybe not when I'm sober," He replied cheekily, "But the drunk me _loves _to dance."

I looked out to the dance floor, seeing it empty. Everyone was gathered up in twos or threes, chatting off to the sides, and drinking champagne or wine. The music was classical and barely audible.

"There's really no one else dancing," I explained obviously to Stefan, smiling though. There was _no _one dancing.

"That's because they need something better to dance to," he stated and squeezed my hands, "I'll be right back." His warmth left me as he turned to someone whom I supposed was the guy controlling the music.

"Yeah...That's not gonna work." A voice said from behind me. I turned around to see Kelly looking at Stefan and the DJ. "I already tried to bribe the guy with twenty bucks and a date." I smiled, "He said Carol Lockwood has complete control over the music choices." She finished sourly.

Looking at Stefan, I saw him lean in to the guy, and watched as the guy looked hypnotized. Oh my gosh, he was actually compelling him. "You'd be surprised at how..." I looked for the right word, "_Influential, _he can be when he so chooses to."

The music changed to a rock-pop song, and around the room, people started to sway their hips in time with the beat.

Kelly was happily surprised, "Thank God!" She said relieved, and sauntered over to Stefan with a smile. He turned around, took her hand, and they moved to the center of the dance floor, where other people were also dancing. At least they were having fun.

Someone walked up from beside me and stood next to me. I looked up, and saw Damon in a suit. He looked at Stefan quizzically, "Have I entered an alternate universe where Stefan is _fun_,"

Oh, not the "f" word again. The _other _word that wouldn't be in Stefan's sober vocabulary.

Though I was happy that Stefan was laughing, smiling, and dancing, I was worried about it all meant, "Is he gonna be okay?" I asked Damon, worried.

"Eventually," He stated, and shrugged, "One way or another."

I gave him a look, and he simply smiled back. Okay, then. Not the best answer, but, I guess it was better than nothing. We went back to watching Stefan dance with Kelly, as he twirled her around. I smiled slightly. He would be okay, I knew it.

* * *

Jenna and Elena came up to me a few minutes later. Jenna wore a modest midnight blue, short-sleeved dress, while Elena was clad in a black U-shaped neckline, knee length dress.

We were laughing and joking about some of the hilarious things that have happened over the years at parties, when Elena suddenly said, "Oooh, history teacher, three o'clock."

Jenna turned around, and I spotted Alaric coming towards us. Jenna turned back around, and asked frantically, "How do I look."

"Beautiful," I immediately answered, "As always."

She didn't have time to say thank you, so she just nodded, as Alaric came up to us. "I was looking for you." He said to Jenna, while his eyes drifted to me. "Well uh... things have been a little crazy but I'm here now." What was that supposed to mean? Jenna wouldn't expect anything, but I'm guessing the reason for his discomfort was because he believed Jeremy knew something about vampires. At this point, it wouldn't surprise me. My brother's been hanging around with Anna, so I had no idea what she's told him. Alaric turned back to Jenna, "Do you want to get a drink?"

"Sure," She answered, giddy.

"Okay," Alaric smiled, and they walked over to the bar. I smiled at their retreating figures.

Elena looked at me, and said, "I'm gonna go use the bathroom, and then probably just walk around. I haven't been here as many times as you have."

I nodded, "Okay. I'll see you later."

She nodded, and went in the opposite direction from where Alaric and Jenna had disappeared into.

Matt walked up, a smile on his face as he surveyed the area and the people who were dancing in time to the beat. "When did this happen?" He asked me.

I shrugged, pretending to be ignorant, "I guess the DJ himself got bored."

He laughed, "Do you want to dance?"

I hesitated for a second, and looked around for Stefan, making sure that I wouldn't be ditching him if I were to go onto the dance floor.

"_Yes." _Matt insisted, with a humorous glint in his eyes, "Come on." He caught my waist and pulled me to where the others were dancing, twirling me away, and back to him.

I laughed, and allowed myself to enjoy the time with him. He was a good friend after all, and right now, I admit, I was having a lot of fun. Maybe there was nothing for me to worry about. I should just learn to let go, and move on. Everything would resolve in its own way, somehow.

* * *

We danced for quite some time, when Matt's gaze looked behind me, and he said, "Your boyfriend's coming, I better go."

I shook my head in amusement as he turned around and started to easily mingle with the other girls there. He was a very likable guy, which was what probably drew me to him the first time I met him.

Just as Matt had said, once I turned around, Stefan caught me in his arms, and pleaded, "Please dance with your _alcoholic vampire _boyfriend."

I giggled, as he pulled me to him, and then twirled me out. I bumped into something from behind me, and gasped when I realized it was not "something", but a guy.

He tuned around, and I said, "I'm so sorry, my fault, I can be a little clumsy sometimes." I was usually pretty elegant and balanced, I mean, I had to be, I was a cheerleader. But when I was with Stefan, I sometimes felt as if I was weightless, like no one could penetrate the little bubble around us.

"Then maybe you should get off the dance floor." He said, not really looking at me. He looked to have been drinking at bit, like Stefan.

His rude comment was like a slap to the face. My head actually jerked back a bit, and Stefan came into view beside me, glaring at the man in front of us. "That's no way to talk to a lady." He instructed the man, as if scolding a naughty child.

The man whom I bumped into finally looked at me completely, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Sorry," he muttered blandly, and started to walk away.

Stefan's arm shot out, and he grabbed the man's arm. The guy's head whipped around in alarm, while Stefan compelled him sternly, "Now say it like you mean it."

The guy looked at me, under the spell, and said, "I'm really, really sorry."

"Stefan, it's fine." I told him, but he didn't listen.

"Now walk away." Stefan pushed the man, and he stumbled away from us. I touched Stefan's arm, concerned. What the hell was that? He's _never _acted like that before. I wasn't exactly afraid, but I was worried for him. Was he really going to be okay?

Stefan looked at me, and his eyes softened, the hardness melting away. He touched my face gently, and questioned, "You alright?"

I nodded numbly, but before I could ask the same, he stated: "I- I need a drink." He walked away from me, and I stood there dumbly on the dance floor, wondering whether or not I should take action. I couldn't work on my own though, I needed help.

* * *

The last time I tried asking Damon, it ended with me having conflicted feelings and zero advice. I didn't have to look for him though, because he came up to me a few minutes after Stefan disappeared to... wherever.

"Have you noticed what your brother has been up to?" I asked Damon. Stefan had been compelling people for simple things like a song change, or to have a guy apologize again after already doing do. I wouldn't be worried, because really, it was not that big of a deal. But Stefan didn't take away a person's free will, no matter how small, it just wasn't like him. So this sudden change of personality was a little unnerving, and I wanted to know what Damon thought of it, since they were brothers.

"No," Damon replied, "I've been too preoccupied with yours." I looked up from the table I was staring at, and into his eyes, willing him to continue. "Jeremy had been asking questions about Vicki Donovan's death."

My eyebrows furrowed, "I thought that he knew it was ruled as an overdose."

"Really?" Damon started mocking my brother, "'Oh but, sheriff, someone buried her. Who would do that?'" Damon raised his hands and pointed to himself, whispering, "I know I know! Me!" He shrugged, "I mean I could compel him but he's wearing vervain."

I shook my head at Damon, "No, I don't want you to compel him."

"If he keeps asking questions..." He trailed off.

"Damon, please," I said to him, "I'm not going to do that to him again... Actually... I think it's time I told him the truth. Him and Elena."

Damon raised his eyebrows, "Are you willing to take that risk?"

I nodded, not allowing myself to feel guilty. "I can't hide the truth from them anymore." I told him, "Jeremy already knows... something. And Elena's part of it too. Our birth mother's a vampire... they deserve to know everything. It's unfair to them otherwise."

"Okay," Damon said, with a shrug. He reached over to a flower vase on the side of the table, and picked out the deepest red rose there, without even a hint of purple in it. He gracefully held it, and handed it to me, "It's your choice. Don't say I didn't warn you."

I took the delicate rose gingerly between my thumb and forefinger. He stared at me for a few seconds, before letting go, and leaving.

* * *

Jeremy sat on the couch in one of the rooms, staring off into the... wall. I sat down next to him, deciding to find out what he knew before telling him what _I _knew. "Jer?" I said, and his head turned to look at me, "I heard about your conversation with Sheriff Forbes."

He sighed, and turned his body so that it was somewhat facing me on the couch, "No one is trying to figure out what happened to her." He said, "They all want to believe that she OD'ed."

"What do you believe?" I asked him.

"I think somebody killed her and buried her body and I don't think we should write it off 'cause it's easy." He answered, and I was initially shocked by it. So he really did believe this, and it actually wasn't far off from the truth. How much did he really know? "Do you still think it was an overdose?" I didn't answer. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

I hesitated, but eventually asked, "Jeremy... do you really want to know? Is this what you want?"

Jeremy nodded. "Tell me."

I took a deep breath, and said, "Okay. Wait here, I'll go get Elena."

"Wait," Jeremy questioned, "What?"

"She needs to know as well." I told him, then left the room in search for my sister.

* * *

I must've spent a good hour explaining everything to my siblings in the dark, dimly lit room. I started from the beginning, introducing them into the world of vampires. Jeremy already knew about the supernatural creatures because of Anna, but that's where the information ended.

Elena thought I was crazy at first, but once she started thinking about it, she realized that I was right. The secrets between us almost seemed infinite, and so I told them everything.

I explained how Damon and Stefan were vampires, turned in 1864 by their love Katherine Pierce, my ancestor, who creepily looks exactly like me. The weaknesses of vampires included; vervain, a stake to the heart, decapitation, heart extraction, sunlight, and fire. The ring on their fingers protected them from the sun, because it was spelled by Emily, Bonnie's ancestor, and a witch. Upon hearing Bonnie as a witch, Elena was at a loss for words, but I continued the story.

When Damon came into town, he caused trouble, ranging from compelling, to killing, to turning Vicki Donovan. This was a sensitive subject for them, especially Jeremy. I explained about how she lost control in her bloodlust, and Stefan had to kill her. With Jeremy in so much pain, and Elena so traumatized, I had Damon compel away their memories.

The reason Damon had come to Mystic Falls in the first place was to get Katherine out of the tomb. Lifting the spell had an undesired effect for Bonnie and I, since Grams had died channeling all that power. Katherine was thought to have been sealed in the tomb underneath the church, along with other vampires including Anna's mother; Pearl. But, it tuns out Katherine was never in there, and Damon was heartbroken, and healing.

Isobel, mine and Elena's birth mother was a vampire turned by Damon, and Alaric's ex-wife. Our birth father was still unknown, but I promised that when I found out who it was, I'd tell them.

Jeremy and Elena asked many questions throughout my story-telling, asking about why I was still hanging out with the Salvatore brothers, and why I never told them in the first place.

Finally, after the sadness and fear left them, it was replaced by hurt, anger, and betrayal.

"Why did you have Damon compel us?!" Jeremy asked me, his eyes shining with anger. "I thought we were closer than that, that you could trust me no matter what!"

"Jeremy," I answered, "It was to protect you. You were so heartbroken, and I didn't want you involved in all this. What I did was wrong, and I promise that it won't happen-"

"No, no." He said, shaking his head. He rose from the couch, towering over me, "No more promises. Don't make a promise if you can't keep it."

"I'm sorry," I said, tears about to fall from my eyes. "I should've told you guys, and I made a mistake. I'm really sorry,"

Jeremy shook his head in anger, "I - I can't, Ariana." He said, frustrated, "Not right now. I - I need to go, before I do something stupid." He swiftly walked to the door in anger. Before he was completely out of my line of vision, he said a bit more quietly, "You should've told me from the beginning. I would've been there for you. But now," His voice wavered, "I need some time."

Then he left.

I was almost scared to look down to where Elena was sitting on the couch, staring at the floor blankly. She must've been feeling sick in the sudden deluge of information. Before this day, she never knew about the supernatural, or that she was adopted; that her mom was a member of the undead. Her breathing was heavy, and she looked up at me.

Her eyes were the color of dark chocolate, similar to mine, except I had a lighter brown and softer pair of eyes. She said nothing, but got to her feet, never once breaking her gaze with me. I felt uncomfortable, but I didn't look away.

I expected her to yell at me, but she just continued to stand there, staring at me like I was a stranger. I couldn't take it anymore, and choked out, "Elena-"

That's all I was able to get out, because suddenly, she lifted her right hand, and slapped me across my face. Pain radiated everywhere, and my head snapped back. Instinctively, my hand reached up and gently caressed my left inflamed cheek, looking back at Elena in confusion. She showed no reaction, her expression remaining neutral, and walked out of the room.

Tears rolled down my cheeks, and I fell to the hardwood floor, sobbing. I deserved this. I've lied to my siblings, and I felt like stabbing myself. The pain I felt right now could not compare to any physical pain. It was excruciating. I've just lost Elena and Jeremy. Who knows how long it would take before they would forgive me. Perhaps never.

But, I eventually knew that I couldn't stay in there forever. So I wiped the tears away, and exited the room. Though, it felt like an eternity, it had only been an hour. Music still came out of the speakers.

* * *

Since I was distracted, I wasn't looking ahead of me, and I bumped into someone. Sea blue eyes looked down at me. "Hey, Ariana, how's..." Matt trailed off when he saw my expression. "What's wrong? You look sad." He used his fingers to lift my face. His eyes turned hard, "What the hell happened to your face?"

"Don't worry about it Matt, it's fine." I tried to convince him.

"What do you mean?" He questioned, "It's not fine! Who did this to you? I swear to God, I'll kill them."

"Matt," I said, placing a hand on his arm, trying to placate him, "Elena and I just got into a little argument. Anyways, I deserve it."

"No you don't," He disagreed, "I'm gonna go talk to her."

He started to move, but I tightened my grip on his arm, not letting him go. "Don't Matt. Hey, look at me." I put my hands on his face, and his eyes looked into mine, "I'm fine, okay?"

He took a deep breath, and nodded, his jaw still tense. He placed his fingers on my chin, and titled my face up so that he could inspect my cheek more easily. He sighed, and said, "It's gonna be alright. Put some ice on it when you get home and it should be gone in a couple days."

I nodded, "Thanks, Matt." I said, grateful. He was the quarterback for our high school team, so he knew what the best way for wounds to heal were. I remember freaking out when he got a huge gash of his forehead from getting tackled after his helmet fell off. It had healed up in less than two weeks. "Anyways, thank you for making me dance as well, it was fun,"

"Your welcome," he said, smiling, and he hugged me. After a few seconds, he breathed out, "Air, I need some air. Come with me?"

I looked at him, and said, "Sure."

He took my hand, and we walked across the room, heading towards the doors. "You haven't seen my mom, have you?" He asked me.

"No," I responded, "Not in a while," Because I spent that time explaining to Elena and Jeremy about the supernatural world. Yeah, not gonna tell Matt that. But, who knows? Someday I may have to. After all, his sister Vicki was turned into a vampire, and then killed by one.

We went out into the cool night... to be faced with a shocking scene. Well... I found Kelly. "Um, Matt?" I questioned, my eyes trained on seeing Kelly kissing... Tyler, who was Matt's best friend.

Matt's eyes flared up at the sight, and he let go of my hand, rushing towards them. This would not end well...

Matt caught the back of Tyler's shirt and flung him away from his mom, "What the hell are you doing, man?" He asked Tyler in rage.

"Matt?!" Kelly said, guilty, surprised, and scared. I did love Kelly, but she really did need to be a better mother for Matt.

Matt turned his glare to his mother, "Mom!"

"Whoa, dude, calm down." Tyler said to Matt.

Matt punched Tyler in the face, triggering the start of the fight. Tyler punched Matt back, and he landed on the table, breaking it, and knocking Kelly over. Matt rolled onto the floor, and Tyler took advantage of it by punching him repeatedly on the face. Blood dripped from Matt's nose and forehead.

"Matt!" I screamed in terror, getting closer. I wanted to stop this, but I couldn't. I wouldn't be strong enough. "Stop it! Tyler, please! Stop it, you're hurting him!" I stated obviously. My heart rate sped up, as I watched Tyler beat up Matt. If somebody didn't stop him soon, Matt would become severely hurt, if he wasn't already.

Alaric finally arrived and caught Tyler, pushing him to the wall, off of Matt. I immediately rushed to Matt, helping him up onto the nearby chair. "What the hell was that?" Alaric exclaimed.

The Mayor arrived, and told his son, Tyler, to go get cleaned up. He assured everyone that everything was fine, telling them to enjoy the party.

Matt had blood running down from his nose, and wound on his forehead, and two on his cheek. "Are you okay?" I asked him, trying to blink away tears.

"Yeah, where is she?" He asked, referring to Kelly.

I looked around me. After she fell to the ground, I lost sight of her. "I don't know," I told Matt, "Here, let me see."

I put my fingers under his jaw bone, and looked at his wounds.

"Did he break anything?" I asked.

"No, no, I'm fine," He said.

I nodded, "I'll take you home."

"It's okay," he said, "You came to this party, and you should enjoy it. I can go home myself."

"Are you sure?" I asked him. Could he even see straight?

"Yeah," Matt said, "I've had way worse than this."

I nodded, "Okay, be safe."

* * *

I wandered around the parking lot of the Lockwood estate after the party, searching for Stefan. "Stefan?" I questioned, "Stefan?" I looked in between to cars, and saw a guy lying on the ground, in pain. I ran over to him, "Hey! Are you okay? What happened?"

I reached to help him up, but he got up himself, clutching his arm. I recognized him as the guy from the dance floor, whom Stefan had compelled.

"My arm," he groaned, "I lost my balance and fell. I can be a little clumsy sometimes." My heart sunk to my stomach. That last line was the exact same thing I had said to him at the party. Had Stefan compelled him? What was really going on?

_Stefan... what's happened?_

* * *

When Jenna and I got back to the house, we went up the stairs, and parted ways as she entered her bedroom. I slowly tried to open Jeremy's door, but it was locked. He didn't want to see me, and I respected that. But it still hurt. I was too scared to open Elena's bedroom. I didn't want to know how she'd react to me.

So, instead, I walked into my own bedroom. I looked into the mirror, and gasped, turning around. Someone was in my bedroom. Then, I calmed down. It was just Stefan. I placed a hand over my chest, "You scared me."

"Sorry," Stefan replied solemnly. There was definitely something wrong. "And um, I'm sorry I ran off earlier."

"What's happened?" I asked, "Is everything okay? Are you okay?"

"Uh..." Stefan finally admitted, "No,"

"Talk to me," I told him, "Tell me what's wrong." I walked over to the bathroom door, and closed it. I didn't want Jeremy seeing Stefan here if he were to use the bathroom. I walked back over to Stefan. I sat down onto my soft bed, and patted the place next to me, "Stefan, Tell me."

He sat next to me, a bit reluctantly, and said, "I tried so hard to keep it together tonight, and it was working, it was working but then Matt's mom, she got hurt and she was bleeding and I had her blood on my hands." He paused, and I patiently waited for him to continue, "And then that gut in the parking lot, I wanted to feed on him and it took everything inside of me not to."

"But you didn't." I stated.

"No, but I wanted to," He admitted, almost painfully, "Ariana," he reached his hands up and they hovered next to his temple, "My head is _pounding. _I feel like my skin is on - is on," He gestured to his face in emphasis, "_Fire. _I have this hunger inside of me that I've never felt before in my entire life and all I keep thinking about is how I promised that I would never keep anything from you, and so I'm telling you this," he closed his eyes.

I nodded, "That's okay; I need you to tell me these things, it's good that I know."

"But I don't _want _you to see me like this." he retorted, "I don't want you to know that this side of me exists."

"Stefan, you're gonna get through this." I told him, sternly, "I'm gonna help you pull through. It's gonna be okay, you're gonna be okay," I reached up and caressed his face, but he pulled away from me and stood up, walking backwards.

"No, no, no, no, no." He said, closing his eyes, then opening them again. "I'm sorry, I can't, I'm afraid of what I could do to you."

I stood up and walked towards him. _I _was the one afraid for _him. _It shouldn't be the other way around. "I'm not." I stated, "If it's you, then I'm not afraid for my safety." I took his face between my hands, and was glad that this time he didn't fight me. "Stefan, I'm not afraid." I whispered, looking into his eyes, and kissed him. "I'm not, okay?"

We embraced each other, and he whispered, his voice cracking, "I love you so much."

"I love you too," I said genuinely. It was because I loved him that I was hurting inside as well. I could almost feel his pain, and I wanted him to feel better, to become comfortable, and most of all; happy.

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry I couldn't update this a little earlier, but I had to go skiing with my friends. I hope you enjoyed my chapter, but even if you didn't, I'd appreciate you leaving a review, so that I could improve on my writing. Thank you!**

**-Spiralcloud**


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